A Tango With Death
by KiraChan44
Summary: Kira is a Konoha shinobi who is the best kept secret in her village. She was raised by the fourth Hokage when she was four, and when he died during the Kyuubi attack, the third Hokage took her in. Now she is an adult and is about to enter the Chunin exams. What will happen when to her and her team when she meets Sabaku no Gaara? GaaraXOC
1. Adrenaline

_AN: So as a quick note (I promise not to keep you long), each chapter is named after a song that I think fits the content of the chapter. I'll give the name of the artist or band that put out the song so you can listen to it if you so choose. Be warned, I listen mostly to rock and metal, but you may be surprised by some of the artists I listen to. Also, I don't own any of these characters except Kira, Takai, Kakkaku, and Arakita. So without further ado I present:_

**A Tango With Death**

* * *

_"I need a shot again, that sweet adrenaline  
Dead scared 'cause I'm fearless in the head!  
Bang! Bang! 'Cause the needle's in the red!"_

**Chapter 1. Adrenaline (Shinedown)**

I was fuming. Where the hell was my team? On any normal day we would be inseparable, however today wasn't exactly normal as it was the day before the chuunin exams. We had split up to finish purchasing the equipment we were going to need for what Arakita-Sensei said was going to be the hardest test in our lives.

After waiting for nearly fifteen minutes at our designated meeting point, I stalked off to find my slightly evil best friend and the guy I was crushing on, but that last bit was a secret. It was very unlike them to be late. They were always punctual, because being more than five minutes late ticked me off.

I stalked down the warm and dusty streets of Konoha, checking all our usual haunts, only to come back with nothing. And after questioning everyone in our usual haunts I was dismayed to learn that they hadn't been seen all day. I was getting quite angry and was about to blow a fuse when I spotted some commotion across the street. _Perfect, _I thought to myself, _someone to hook my claws into. _

Some guy had poor little Konohamaru in his clutches, lifting him off his feet by his scarf. As I stomp off across the street I take in the scene before me, trying to analyze as many details as possible. Firstly, and the most obviously, Naruto was pointing at the stranger and yelling his fool head off. I rolled my eyes at this typical behavior. Next I saw that Sasuke was out of character and was hanging back next to Sakura, both of them watching the scene before them unfold without taking any action. I expected this out of Sakura, but Sasuke too? The next thing I narrowed my eyes on was a blond haired girl with her hair in four spikey ponytails. She looked like she was trying to mediate, but it didn't look like she was trying all that hard. I eyed the Suna headband around the girl's neck. _Must be here for the exams. _I thought. If they were from Suna then a definite ass kicking was in order.

As I reach the sidewalk where Konohamaru is being manhandled, I closely examine the opposition. The guy is in a black baggy jumpsuit with a circle split in half on his chest. One half of the circle is yellow, while the other half is maroon. He also has black leather fingerless gloves, and a black hood with cat ears attached. I notice that his hood doubles as his village's headband as his metal Suna plate is attached to the hood. On his back is some huge monstrosity covered in white bandages with a tuft of what appears to be hair sticking out.

The woman behind him has on a light pink shirtdress that stops about mid thigh with ninja mesh up to her neck. She also had ninja meshing on both legs; the left leg had mesh reaching until just above her knee, while her right leg had mesh from her ankle to just below her knee. A red sash was tied around her waist and her Suna headband was around her neck. On her back was a huge black rectangle, and if I had to wager a guess, I'd guess that it was a giant fan.

I stand in front of the two, my arms crossed as I turn a glare in their direction. I'm ignored for only a moment as I listen in to their conversation.

"This kid fucking ran right into me! I'm going to teach him some manners Temari!"

"Kankuro! Do you want Gaara to see what you're up to?"

"Oh relax. He's nowhere near here."

"Kankuro is it?" I ask, finally catching their attention as I shift up my killing intent. I loved to do it, it's so much fun! "You better put down the Hokage's grandson if you know what's good for you."

Kankuro glances at me, then Temari. "Tch, this brat isn't worth it anyways." He says, flinging down Konohamaru. Naruto manages to catch him before he starts throwing out insults again.

"Naruto!" I interrupt and he stops his tirade to look up. "Please take Konohamaru home. I think these," I look the two Sand ninja in front of me up and down, "guests need to be welcomed properly." I say going into an attack crouch, and sliding a kunai into my palm.

"Well, at least she looks like a worthy opponent." The boy named Kankuro says as he puts a hand on the mummy thing on his back.

I bare my teeth at him. I'm so pumped up that I can feel my canines lengthen in excitement. "You picked the wrong chick to fuck with." I growl out. "I'm on the war path right now." I ramp up my killing intent to one quarter of my over-all strength, which would feel like all the killing intent a fresh genin could muster, but I had so much more than that measly amount. I watch happily as Temari squirms and Kankuro tries to hold back a wince. Yeah, I'm totally badass.

"Kira! You shouldn't be attacking people!" Takai says, as she skips over to me. "At least not without me." I watch out of the corner of my eye as one of my two missing teammates gets into an attack crouch next to me, adding her own dose of killing intent to mine as her amber feline-like eyes flash angrily at the two strangers.

I smile evilly at my best friend, who grins just as evilly back before we both focus all of our attention on the two ninjas from Suna. "I feel like having some bully Sand ninja for dinner, how about you?" I ask Takai as we both glare at the ninja before us. The girl, Temari takes one step back, but Kankuro is stubborn and although he looks extremely nervous right now he holds his ground. I give them mental kudos; usually most low class genin would have been running screaming for their mommy because of the amount of killing intent we were putting off.

"Really you two? Do you guys have to go all evil right now?" Kakkaku, the third member of our team says as he places a hand on my and Takai's shoulders.

"Oh come on Kakkaku! We're just instilling some fear into our prey! You know how much we love the thrill of the chase!" Takai says, giving the only male member of our team an evil glare for spoiling the fun.

"Why you-" Kankuro is in the middle of pulling whatever that thing is off his back when a loud voice interrupts him.

"Kankuro!" Both the Suna ninja whip their heads up and look up into the tree that is to me and Takai's back. Takai also turns and looks up into the tree, straightening up from her crouch. I grumble as I too get out of my crouch and follow Takai's gaze into the tree.

A redheaded boy is in the tree, standing upside down as he surveys the scene in front of him. The fact that he was able to get into the tree without me noticing was quite a feat since I was quite sensitive to other's chakra signatures. He had the most beautiful sea foam green eyes ringed in black, _was that eyeliner? _I thought to myself, with an ai kanji above his left eye in red ink. _Hmm… Similar to mine, although mine is on my back… _This guy was getting curioser and curioser. He was wearing a black tee shirt with black baggy pants and black ninja mesh on his arms extending to about an inch before his elbows. He was also wearing a white sash that extended from left hip to right shoulder before looping around to make a loincloth-looking thing that extended to below his knees. On his back it looked like he was carrying a heavy tan gourd with a red sash tied around the middle. His Suna headband was tied around a dark tan leather harness that was keeping the gourd in place.

There was something about this guy. He had a glare plastered to his face that looked like it never came off and the two Suna ninja behind me reeked of fear. I was blasted then by a wave of killing intent that had my hair curling. Geez, how much killing intent did this guy have!? Whatever he was blasting down on us was about a third of my full strength. If he didn't look so inherently evil right now, I would have thought he was quite handsome. Takai may have been all doom and gloom, but this guy takes the cake, and there was no way I was going to get involved with a guy who looked like he'd be quite happy in the pits of hell.

"G-Gaara!" I turn and look at Kankuro who is shaking slightly. _Afraid of him huh? Wonder what makes this redhead such a bad ass… _

I glance at Kakkaku, unfazed by the killing intent Gaara is putting off because I aim it at him all the time. In fact Kakkaku looks quite relieved that I backed off so quickly and that I'm no longer in my fighting crouch. I sigh and disperse my killing intent, and feel the prickle of my canines as they shrink from wolf-size to human-size. "You ruined my fun." I pout at Kakkaku and cross my arms. "I'd have made mince meat out of those two if you hadn't stopped me." I glance at Takai who is still staring at Gaara. I roll my eyes. I can already see where this is going.

"We were just playing Gaara. Right Temari?" I hear Kankuro say. I turn to look at him as he arranges a placating look on his face.

"You're such a liar!" I snort, elbowing Takai to back me up.

"You were going after the Hokage's grandson." Takai says, finally taking her eyes off of Gaara and turning a full on glare at Kankuro and Temari. The both of them shiver as they look at Takai's glowering amber eyes, and Kankuro backs up a step this time, although I suspect it's because he's terrified of Gaara.

I watch as a whirlwind of sand wraps around Gaara. He disappears and then reappears as the sand deposits him right side up in front of the other two Suna ninja. "I apologize for my sibling's behavior. They won't cause anymore trouble."

"Woah! Hold on there!" I say loudly, pointing at the trio in front of me. "You mean to say you guys are brothers and sister? Wow! I did not see that one coming!"

"Kira…" Kakkaku sweat drops as he looks at me.

"What? They look nothing alike!"

"You can be so rude, you know that?" He says, shaking his head.

"Well they were rude first!"

"Shut up baka!" Takai says, bopping me on the head with her fist.

"Itai!" I whine, glaring at Takai as I rub the spot where she punched me. I look at the three Sand ninja and glare when Temari tries to hide a smirk and Kankuro full on laughs. "Laugh it up chuckles. I know what you smell like now, and I'll be able to track you anywhere you go. You might just go to bed tonight only to wake up tomorrow breathing through a tube." I say menacingly, pushing out my killing intent again. Kankuro and Temari's smirks fade fast.

Gaara glares harder at me and I scowl at him. "You don't scare me." I state, making a point of even taking a few steps closer so that we're toe to toe.

"Oh my Kami Kira! Would you just cool it? They apologized now leave it alone!" Takai says as she pulls me away. "So sorry about her, she sometimes gets a little bloodthirsty when a good fight is presented to her."

"Oh, you're one to fucking talk!" I shout. "Miss I wish I was a vampire so I could live off the stuff!"

Temari and Kankuro look at the two of us like 'what the fuck?' while Gaara just stares with no emotion on his face. It was slightly disturbing. I'm rewarded for my outburst with another bop to the head, this time from Kakkaku. If I got a bop on the head from him then I should probably stop. I glare at him as the other three leave. I keep glaring at their retreating backs before I turn my glare on Sasuke and Sakura.

"Thanks for all the help you guys!" I say sarcastically in a sickly sweet tone. They both turn and walk away, Sakura a little faster than Sasuke. I'm sure the little prick would have loved seeing what my jutsus were like. He was always trying to spy on our training. "Well, that was totally anti-climatic." I huff angrily before remembering the reason why I had been pissed off in the first place. "Where were you two?" I shout. "I waited for almost twenty minutes!"

"Keep your panties on, we just had to wait longer than expected for our things." Takai says, leveling her glare my way.

"Oh, come on! You know that your glares don't work on me!" I exclaim, exasperated.

"Well I can still try!" Takai shouts at me.

"Kira! Takai!" Kakkaku says loudly, which immediately grabs our attention. He normally hangs out in the back ground, keeping quiet and to himself. When he was loud it usually meant he was getting pissed off. "Let's just finish up whatever we need to do so we can go meet up with Arakita-Sensei."

I roll my eyes at him and whip out my new black knives. "I'm already done. These babies are made out of chakra metal, easy to use and easy to channel any of my five chakra natures into." I say holding them up for inspection. They were similar to Asuma-Sensei's with four finger holes so I could slide them up my knuckles and use them more comfortably. The blade had a wicked curve with sawing capability on the thicker part near the handles. Also on each blade just above the saw teeth were tiny wolf prints punched through the blade. I enjoyed wolf prints since they were a part of who I was.

"Did you practice with them yet?" Kakkaku asks.

"Of course, for twenty minutes while I waited for you two to show up, which you never did." I say glaring at the two. "Fire, wind and lightning are the three best natures to channel through these, I swear!" I put them on and make a series of thrusts in the air as we walk along before taking them off and nuzzling the knuckle guards with my cheek.

Kakkaku sweat drops as he watches me nuzzle my new weapons happily. I see him watching out of the corner of my eye and immediately go on the defensive.

"What?" I ask as I put them away. "You know I like sharp, pointy objects."

"Everyone knows not to go near you when you have any type of sharp weapon in your hands." Takai says, eyeing me as I take a less expensive kunai out of its holster. I test the tip with my thumb before I begin picking my teeth nonchalantly with it. "See what I mean!?" My best friend exclaims as we take a left down a side street.

"At least I don't have the Grim Reaper's neko locked in my body!" I whisper angrily, going on the defensive.

"Oh, don't even go there she-wolf! Your five-tail is much worse than my two-tail!" Takai hisses angrily, giving me one of her most evil glares.

"At least my jutsu repertoire doesn't include any jutsu that drain life, unlike you. You're almost as bad as a fucking blood mage!"

Takai doesn't even blink, she just leaps at me, her nails curving into sharp claws as she takes a swipe at my face, her amber eyes narrowing.

"Ladies! Now really? Is that any way to act right before the chunin exams?" Arakita-Sensei says, materializing out of nowhere and pulling me and Takai apart before knocking our heads together with bruising force.

"Itai!" I rub my head for the second time in a span of about half an hour, before I glare at Sensei. Takai and I glance at each other before I sidle up next to her and we both turn our most evil death glares on our Sensei.

"You guys know those glares don't work on me! Save them for the opposition!" Fire dances in our Sensei's eyes before she huggles Takai and I into her boobs.

"WHAT THE FUCK! YOU LESBO!" Takai's eye twitches dangerously as she elbows Sensei in the ribs and squirms out of her grip.

"Takai! Help me!" I plead as Arakita-Sensei wraps her now free arm around me and squashes me tighter against her chest.

"No way! Consider it payback for your remarks earlier." Takai says crossing her arms and turning her back on me.

I sigh and go limp in Sensei's arms and just let her smother me with her giant boobs. Now I knew how Tora the cat felt… Within a few seconds I'm released and I flop to the ground in a heap. I glare at Sensei but she just gives me a huge grin, mischief dancing in her eyes. This does not bode well for us.

"Last minute training time! Then I have something for each of you three!" Sensei says happily as she eyes all of us. She pulls out leg and arms weights for each of us.

I take mine and immediately fall into the dirt. "What the hell! How much does this shit weigh?" I ask as I pick myself up and struggle to belt on the weights.

"What, these old things? Well for you and Takai two hundred pounds, and for Kakkaku, three hundred pounds, and I do mean each weight!" Sensei says this last part almost too cheerfully.

I sweat drop as I finally manage to belt on the weights.

"Alright! Now three laps around Konoha! No stopping, and if you slow down," Arakita-Sensei bites her thumb and wipes the blood down her summoning mark, "then I'll have to have Akira here chase you down!" She says cheerfully as she pats the flank of the large wolverine she just summoned.

"Sensei! You hate us!" I exclaim as I immediately gallop away from Akira. I hear the thunderous steps of Kakkaku and Takai as they scramble to catch up.

* * *

After finishing our laps, we collapse panting in Arakita-Sensei's front yard, happy to be alive after those marathon laps. Akira had indeed followed us the hole time, going berserk every time we lagged or tried to stop. I myself had a pretty gnarly bite on my left hip when I wasn't quite fast enough in speeding up after lagging behind for a moment.

Kakkaku shuffles over to me and places his hand over my hip, forcing his green healing chakra into my body to help my recovery process.

"Thanks." I say, before wincing as some muscle tissue knits itself back together.

"It's what I'm here for!" Kakkaku says, looking like he had only taken a leisurely jog.

Arakita-Sensei pokes her head out her front door. "Finally! You three took forever! Now get your asses in here, I've got some things I want to give you."

I glare as she retreats into the house, taking off my weights. I feel like I'm light as a feather compared to before. All three of us make out way into Sensei's white house and take our shoes off in the mudroom. We then walk down the hall and seat ourselves in the living-room, which is sparsely furnished with a couch and one chair in front of a fireplace. There's no TV, which is a slight bummer, but the fire crackling merrily in the grate feels nice. I seat myself on the couch and examine the few pictures, which are mostly of tasteful still-lifes.

"Alright! Gift time!" Sensei says excitedly. I know what's coming. New clothes. I quite liked getting new outfits; Takai on the other hand would rather die. She hated the kunoichi outfits that Sensei picked out for her. Kakkaku didn't care one way or the other. "Takai first!" Sensei says, dragging her down the hall and into another room.

"Fuck no! Get away from me you crazy bitch!" I hear Takai screech followed by a couple of thumps that make the floorboards shudder. I sweat drop and Kakkaku puts a hand over his face.

"When will Sensei learn that Takai would rather wear a black baggy turtle neck and baggy black pants?" Kakkaku asks me.

"Who knows?" I reply as the door opens up.

"You're fucking nuts if you think I'm going out there!" Takai says. I can picture her in my mind trying to cover herself as much as she can with her arms.

"Oh come on Takai! You look sexy!" Arakita-Sensei says, a chuckle in her voice.

"I don't want to look sexy you fucking dumbass!" Takai responds, pure venom in her voice.

"Baka!" This exclamation is followed by another thump. "Don't be disrespectful."

I can see Takai in my mind, seething, hands clenched, feline-like eyes narrowed to slits, and then I feel a blast of killer intent roll off Takai. Yup, she was beyond pissed. I sigh to myself, it always ends this way.

Takai stomps out of the room in the outfit Sensei forced her in. My eyes bug out at what I see; it had to be the most revealing outfit Sensei had managed to get on my teammate. She had black short shorts on that almost revealed butt cheeks, which were low rise, showing a good three inches of bare tummy under her belly button. Her tee shirt was also black, with a deep v that showed a ton of cleavage. The bottom of the shirt stopped about two inches above her belly button. Black fingerless ninja mesh gloves were on her hands and they extended to just underneath her elbows. Her new look was complete with brown wavy hair feathered around her face, the silky tresses to the middle of her back. I was almost afraid to see what my outfit was going to look like.

Takai's eyes screamed death to all, so Kakkaku and I wisely kept our mouths shut. She stormed over to the only armchair and flopped down, trying to become swallowed up in the fluffy chair, which was nearly impossible because she was so tall, around 5'9. This new outfit made it look like she was all legs. I had the weirdest feeling that Kakkaku and I were going to be miserable tomorrow.

"Now Takai," Sensei says, looking at said girl sternly, "that outfit is for tomorrow. If you don't wear it, I'll have to summon Akira again so he can motivate you to put your new outfit on right."

"I hate you." Takai whispers under her breath, glaring at Sensei angrily.

"What was that?" Sensei asks, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll wear it! Geez!"

"That's what I thought you said. Come on Kakkaku, you're next."

Kakkaku follows Sensei into the other room, and immediately comes back out in less than two minutes. He has black cargo shorts on with two pockets on each leg and a tee shirt made purely of ninja mesh, which hugged his body beautifully. I was drooling mentally as he came and sat back down next to me.

"Guess that means I'm next." I say, getting up wearily and meeting Sensei at the door to the dressing room.

"Alright get behind the curtain." I'm rushed behind a folding screen and I start stripping as Sensei starts throwing things at me. The first thing I get is a flesh colored bra and I immediately think that she wants to make it look like I'm naked. I shudder as I force myself to put on the flesh colored strapless bra. "Got your bra and underwear on?" Sensei asks as I pull on the flesh colored underwear.

"Yes." I reply meekly.

"Good." Sensei bustles behind the curtain. "This is your outfit."

I look down at myself, then at Sensei, then at myself, then at Sensei again. "I-You-I'm not-You're not serious are you?" I almost cry. I liked getting new clothes, but this was a firm no thanks.

"Yeah, I'm just messing with you!" Sensei says cheerfully.

"Sensei you're mean!" I cry, as tears of relief go down my cheeks.

"Alright, alright, cut it out with the tears, and let's get you into your actual outfit."

The first thing I put on is a pair of black short shorts, which were even lower than Takai's if that was possible, and I definitely felt my ass hanging out. Next is a corset-like top. It laced in the front, but the way it was designed it didn't fully close, so I had a three inch gap in front of my boobs that gradually grew to a six inch gap by the time it reached my tummy. The corset itself ended about an inch above my belly button. Now I understood the need for a flesh colored bra. I had good-sized boobs, and they would have been falling out if I didn't have a bra on. I looked at my back in the mirror, which was also laced up, and revealed a two inch gap from my bra line down. The ai kanji on my right shoulder blade was now clearly visible. Then Sensei pulled my long blonde hair into a high ponytail with a piece of black lacy ribbon and dusted a hint of blue eye shadow on my eyes to make my ice blue eyes look more shocking.

"There we are!" Sensei says, standing back to look at her handiwork. "You are perfect. Hopefully you'll be able to stop every male in his tracks tomorrow." I get a chuck under my chin before I'm ushered out into the living room.

"Oh. My. KAMI. Sensei! What have you done to Kira!?" Takai shouts her eyes bugging out of her head.

Kakkaku turns and looks before immediately looking away. I assume it's to get rid of either a nosebleed or a major hard on, or maybe even both.

"Now, all three of you, get used to how the others are dressed. You need to be able to work without being distracted. Report at the academy at nine am sharp, and don't be late, or I'll kick the snot out of all of you. Got it?"

"Yes Arakita-Sensei" we say in unison.

She smiles. "Good."


	2. Teenagers

**AN: So, how was the first chapter? And I think I forgot this last chapter, so it'll apply to all chapters before and after this one: I don't own anything from Naruto accept Kira, Takai, Kakkaku, and Arakita-Sensei. I am however the proud owner of Naruto Shippuden Box Sets 1-13 and 14 when it comes out in April since I preordered it :) On to the chapter, huzzah!**

* * *

_"Because they sleep with a gun_  
_And keep an eye on you, son_  
_So they can watch all the things you do"_

**Chapter 2: Teenagers (My Chemical Romance)**

I winced in pain as the sharp point punched a hole in my skin. I opened my eyes as they watered, the after affects similar to plucking my eyebrows. I waited for the older man to stop fussing over me and then stood up, making a beeline for the mirror, my eyes quickly zoning onto what I was looking for.

The stud was tiny and the gem was black, it added a splash of something to my face since I couldn't wear earrings. My ears were just too sensitive. I eyed the black stud on the left side of my nose happily. It gave my face a little attitude, and I thought it fit with the black in my outfit perfectly.

The old man handed me a bottle of purified water and a bag of sea salt crystals. "You need to wash the piercing with mild antibacterial soap at least once a day. You also need to add all of the sea salt to the purified water and shake the bottle. The piercing must be saturated three times a day with the salt-water mixture. If you think something's wrong come back anytime so we can have a look. If you catch something in the first 3 days we can treat it in 3 days, a week can be treated in a week and a half, and a week and a half takes two weeks to treat. After that you'll lose the piercing."

"Thanks!" I said gratefully, taking the after care instruction sheet he proffered for me. I left the little tattoo and piercing shop, happy as a camper. I hadn't told anyone about my decision, but I had come here at eight this morning to have it done before the start of the exams. I had thought about getting my belly button done too, but decided that it would have a higher chance of getting ripped out during the exams or on a mission.

"Takai!" I shouted as I came upon the Academy, seeing her by the front door. I ran to her and slid to a stop, a puff of dust rising from my feet from the sudden stop in the fine dust. I grin goofily up at my teammate, my hands behind my head.

Did I mention I was the shortest on my team? I looked quite silly standing next to them. Kakkaku towered over both of us at 6'4, and Takai towered over me at 5'8. My measly 5'2 frame had made me the shortest of all the genin to graduate from the academy.

"What is on your nose?" Takai asked, arms crossed as she stared intently at the black stud in my nose.

"A nose ring!" I say happily, grinning.

"What in the world possessed you to get a nose ring?"

"Meh, I just felt like it."

Takai looked at me like I had three heads, before shaking her own. "You always surprise me."

"That's what I live for you know! Have you seen Kakkaku? He's going to make us late!" I said, quickly changing the subject.

"No, but we still have fifteen minutes before he's officially late." Takai says, looking down the road, watching for signs of our other teammate.

"Ugh, let's see if I can scare him into moving faster. You know how he gets sometimes." I bite my thumb hard, drawing blood and swipe it down my summoning mark. "Kuchiyose no jutsu!" I mutter, and a wolf appears in a puff of smoke, his white canines flashing in the sun as he pants.

"Kira-sama! What can I do for you?" The wolf asks with a slight bow to his head.

"Hey Shiro!" I say, patting the large gray and white wolf. "Kakkaku is late, can you find him and bring him here?"

"Hai!" The wolf bounded away quickly and I shove my hands in my pockets as I watch his retreating back.

"Did you really have to summon Shiro?" Takai asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Not really, but it's always fun to watch him run from my wolves!" I say waggling my eyebrows at Takai.

"You're such a weirdo." Takai says, smirking before perking her head to look down the road again.

I can faintly see a plume of dust, which slowly grows bigger. "That'll be Kakkaku and Shiro." I say shading my eyes with my hand, and then getting distracted by something shiny. I cross my eyes at the shiny thing that stole my attention. "Oh, yeah, I got my nose pierced…"

"What?" Takai asks, looking at me weird.

"What?" I ask back, confused.

"Oh never mind." Takai rolls her eyes as Kakkaku skids to a stop in front of us, a panting Shiro on his heels.

"What the hell Kira? Was it really necessary to summon Shiro to chase me here?" Kakkaku pants, a slight glare in his eyes

"Yes, yes it was." I say. "Did you actually glare just now?"

"Holy shit! Kakkaku glared!" Takai says, pointing at him, disbelief etched all over her face.

"I know how to do it, I just usually refrain from doing it." Kakkaku says defensively.

"Whatever, let's just head for the exams!" I say excitedly, grabbing both my friends by their arms and dragging them through the doors. "Thanks Shiro! You can go now!" I toss over my shoulder and watch as he dips his head and then poofs into a puff of smoke.

Kakkaku shakes his head before he stops in his tracks, gazing at me with a dumbfounded expression. I turn back and look at him raising an eyebrow. "What is in your nose?"

"Oh this?" I ask innocently pointing at my new black stud. "It's my nose ring." I can't control the happy grin that spreads across my lips.

"What in the world… Why? You were already pretty, you don't need that thing." Kakkaku says, crossing his arms to stare hard at me.

I blush at that. "I wanted to wear something, and you guys know my ears are too sensitive for earrings, so I went with a nose ring."

"I'm not even going to say anything else." Kakkaku sighs, uncrosses his arms, and continues on down the hallway. I can smell a faint trace of anger, but decide that he'll get over it. It's not like he ever showed an interest in me like this before.

I skip merrily behind my two teammates and we are soon stopped by a group of people who seem to be confused. Two people are standing in front of a door, and upon closer inspection I find it's the door that we need to go through to get into the correct room for the first part of the exam. I do a double take. I could have sworn we had only gone up one flight of stairs…

Takai crosses her arms and glares at everyone. "You are all really stupid." She states in an emotionless voice, staring at the group of people in front of her.

"Hey! Takai! Don't go making enemies already!" I say, standing next to her and meeting her eyes, a slight smile tugging at my lips. I can see Kakkaku shaking his head out of the corner of my eye, and I smirk at him.

"Well they are all really ignorant. I can only guess as to the reason why their sensei's let them enter." Takai says, as her glare intensifies slightly.

"Oh cut it out. It's not their fault that they can't recognize genjutsu. They probably haven't gotten around to learning about it." I say, smiling more now. I just loved causing trouble.

"All the more reason why they shouldn't be competing in the exams." Takai says emotionlessly as we both raise two fingers in front of our faces.

"Kai!" We say at the same time, releasing the genjutsu, and we both watch with smirks on our faces as the numbers above the door change. Everyone stares at us, dumbfounded, before angry glares take over their faces for the insults we had thrown their way.

"Hey, don't be angry with us. It's your own damn faults for not realizing sooner." I say, smiling like an idiot before skipping away, headed toward the next flight of stairs.

I shift my long black trench coat, having worn it to surprise the opposition at the start of the exam. I wanted to shock the panties off of everyone who saw me. As I walk into the correct room I shove my hands deep into my pockets and hunch over as if there is a cold wind blowing, hoping to look at least a little intimidating. I can feel Takai rolling her eyes behind me as she watches my antics. I glare at her.

The room is full of genin rank shinobi, and most of them look quite ferocious. The three siblings from yesterday are already here too, and they are all three glaring my way. I glare back, leaking some killing intent toward them, however I mostly aim for Kankuro since he still has the 'I'm better than you' look on his face. This seems to piss off Gaara, who aims some killing intent back at me in retaliation. I up the dosage, going to one-quarter strength right away. This makes Kankuro's glare falter, and I let a small smile play on my lips. Gaara however doesn't seem to want to be outdone and his killing intent grows. I glare fiercely at him, and then up it quickly to two-thirds my full strength. This makes his eyes widen slightly. Finally, an amount that he wasn't comfortable with.

I glance at Kankuro and my smile becomes feral. I can feel my canines lengthening again and a low rumble builds in my chest. I up my killing intent just a little tiny bit more to three quarters my full strength, and am happy to see Kankuro take a step back. I'm interrupted in my stare down by a hand on my shoulder and I snarl at it.

"Put it a lid on it baka." Takai says, clobbering me on the head with her weapon of choice, a small fan. She has an angry mark on the side of her head.

I glare at her and growl. "Make me."

"Oh boy." Kakkaku mutters, before placing a hand on his face.

I'm about to have some words with Takai when Naruto bounces into the room, takes one look around the room, and starts shaking. I disperse my killing intent quickly, thinking that I was scaring the poor kid, who was a year behind us. But even though my killing intent had dispersed, he was still shaking like a leaf.

"Naruto?" I question, reaching him the same time as his teammate Sakura. I glance worriedly at the poor kid. He was like me and Takai, a jinchuriki, someone in the village to be feared. We had all played together a lot when we were real young, but since getting our own team a year ago, Takai and I had had little time for Naruto, and it showed as his antics grew more ridiculous.

I'm taken aback as Naruto points at the room and announces, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and I will pass these exams! Believe it!"

I smack my face as Sakura proceeds to try and choke him. I can feel everyone in the room glaring at Naruto and so I decide a distraction is in order. I peel my black trench coat off in one movement and throw it at Sakura and Naruto, who instantly break apart. I sashay my hips as I bend over seductively to grab my coat. I can feel half of my nicely toned ass exposed, and further more, I hear many loud crashes. I turn with the coat over my arms, and raise my eyebrow at every male in the room. There is only one person who doesn't seem to be affected and that's Gaara. He looks around him and seems to look thoughtful, but I can't quite tell.

I look happily at all them men on the floor, which happens to be close to ninety percent, the others all have bloody noses. Even some of the women are looking at me adoringly. I sashay back over to my team, where Takai is silently laughing at everyone.

I perk up and glance at Sasuke. He was speaking in hushed tones to a silver haired genin with glasses. I pool some chakra in my ears and listen carefully. "I want information on Sabaku no Gaara, Chikako Kira, Sayomi Takai, and Kimura Kakkaku."

"That's a long list… Let's see first is Kakkaku, his name meaning build. He's trained as a medic, ah, his name will make sense since he rebuilds the weakened body, and uses katana as his weapon of choice. His team consists of Kira and Takai. Let's see, he's been on 30 D-rank missions, 20 C-rank, 17 B-rank. All around good stats, and he seems to be excellent at medical jutsu as his team rarely comes back injured or fatigued."

I can't believe my ears, I'm almost afraid of what he's going to say about Takai and me. I level a glare at him and up my killing intent slightly. He glances at me nervously.

"Uh, next it Sayomi Takai her name literally meaning 'Night-born Death'. She favors two small fans as her weapons, and has life draining jutsu…" He glances at Takai nervously who glares at him fiercely, her amber eyes turning black and purple. "Er… she's been on the same amount of missions as Kakkaku… And she has wind chakra."

I hold Takai back as she seethes beneath me. _Not good! _I think to myself. The last thing I needed was for Nibi no Nekomata to decide that Kabuto had to die. I backhand Takai on the head and her eyes return to normal as she glares at me. "Calm down, he didn't know about Nibi." I say in a whisper. She nods her head once, but continues to glare. I sigh in relief.

"Let's see next Chikako Kira, her name literally meaning 'Clever Killer'. She favors knives made of chakra metal… Holy shit! This is unheard of!"

"What?" Sasuke demands, looking at me.

"She has all five chakra natures! She can learn literally any jutsu!"

"What of it?" I ask dangerously. I see several eyes looking at me, surprised. I doubt they were expecting little tiny blonde haired me to be the one possessing all five chakra natures. My canines lengthen more, and there's a burning in my eyes, I know that they have started changing from baby blue to orange. Takai and Kakkaku both place their hands on my shoulders. "Would you like to experience my five elements for yourself?" I growl dangerously.

"Kira! Don't go all Gobi on us!" Takai whispers, this time trying to calm me down. I growl once more, but blink and force myself to calm. The fire recedes from my eyes and I know they are changing back to blue. My canines however don't shorten.

"Perhaps I should stop…" Kabuto says, glancing at my angry team.

"I need to know about Sabaku no Gaara first." Sasuke says, giving a fierce glare to Kabuto.

"Well, he's from Sunagakure, and is in a team with his brother Kankuro and sister Temari. He uses sand to defend himself and to attack. He's been on… wow… mostly A and B missions."

Sasuke continues to pour over the stat cards of us as I glance at Gaara, who looks indifferent. I see Takai also watching Gaara, a hidden smile in her face. Kakkaku is scowling at the both of us. Clearly he is not pleased with us.

At that point a ninja attacks Kabuto and he darts out of the way. I watch as he smirks in a cocky way, before his smirk becomes a look of surprise. The lenses in his glasses break, and blood starts seeping out of his ear. I look at the attacker and see some metal apparatus on his arm. Upon closer inspection I deduce that he must channel air through it to create sound, and make a mental note to stay away from that harmless looking object.

"All right you maggots!" I turn to see Ibiki-Sensei addressing us, and I throw my trench coat a Kakkaku, weaving through the crowd of men who hurriedly plug up their noses as I walk by. I can feel my team following me towards the front, as I stand right in front of Ibiki. I wanted to be one of the first ones in so that everyone who came into the room had to look at my scantily clad body before sitting down. I was eager to unnerve people.

After a long speech that I mostly tune out, I expertly slither through the crowd and am the first one to get a seat number and a test sheet. I sit down at my designated spot, and place my hand on my chin. I start to daydream as the teams fill in.

Much to my dismay, yet pleasure, Gaara ends up in the seat next to me, next to the isle. I eye him curiously but he doesn't even pass me a second glance. His brother on the other hand, eyes me up and down as he passes by to go sit higher up in the sloping stadium like set-up of the classroom. A person I don't know at all sits on the other side of me, and I can feel his sleaze-ball eyes travelling up and down, lingering for a long time on my boobs.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer." I snap angrily, causing a few people to watch the events that are about to unfold.

"I think it'd be more fun to get a _feel, _if you know what I mean." He waggles his eyebrows suggestively as he puts a hand on my upper though and slowly moves it further up.

I stand up, turn my back on Gaara, who has been watching out of the corner of his eye, and punch the guy next to me full force, building some chakra up as I do so. The punch lands squarely on his jaw and sends him flying out of his chair before rolling down a few stairs. He groans pitifully while holding his cheek.

"Kira, there is no fighting in this part of the exam. I will have to disqualify you if you do it again." Ibiki says angrily.

"I wouldn't have punched him Sensei if he had kept his hand off of me." I state in a hostile manner, my eyes flashing.

Ibiki looks at me as if he doesn't know whether or not to believe me, then sighs and tells me to switch with Gaara. I stomp over to Gaara, forcefully push him across the floor, chair and all, then lift my empty seat over my head, carry it over Gaara, slam it on the floor, and grumpily sit down. I cross my arms as I sulk like a sullen kid.

Gaara had stiffened when I touched him to shove him forcefully into my spot, and now he was glaring at me, but the tiniest of smiles played on his lips.

"What's so funny?" I bitch, glaring at him.

"Kira! Just shut up already!" That was Takai yelling at me from across the room. I glare and stick my tongue out.

"That's enough out of all of you!" Ibiki shouts. Takai and I both glare at him. "You have 45 minutes to answer the first nine questions. Then there will be a break before the tenth question. Begin!"

I continue to glower at Ibiki for a moment. He meets my glare with one of his own, before smiling. I let a small smile cross my lips, and then flip over the test paper. I take a cursory glance at the test paper and I almost die from shock. There is no way genin level shinobi were going to know this material, unless they were like Sakura. I knew immediately that our task was to cheat.

I look over to Gaara discreetly and can see him scribbling fiercely. I glance around me and see the same cheating going around, some more obvious than others. Naruto is sitting there stewing. I have to laugh internally because I knew that this sort of thing was not his forte.

_Well Gobi, what do you think? Want to get into Gaara's mind over there and get the answers for me? _I ask the demon inside me. He was usually pretty caring towards me, but sometimes he would be an ass and make me do things myself.

_All right pup, but only because you're _supposed _to cheat in this test._

_Thanks Gobi! You know I love you!_

_Much to my displeasure sometimes… _

I feel the big oaf leave my conscience before he's back and is all excited.

_That kid is a jinchuriki too, did you know!?_

_Er… no._

_Yes, yes, he has the Shukaku! I have to say they were both pretty surprised when I popped in. Shukaku doesn't know how to invade another person's mind you know. So he of course became enraged and ordered me to leave. I told him to shove it and got the first few answers for you._

_Uh, thanks? _I was quite perturbed at this and chanced a look at Gaara out of the corner of my eye. He was looking at me too, a dumbfounded expression on his face. I waggled my fingers and smiled before I continued writing.

_Think you can get any more out of him then? _I asked and Gobi gleefully accepted. He liked to tease the lesser demons it would seem because he was also quite mean to Nibi, but I also had a feeling that was because Nibi was a cat.

_Oh, Shukaku is very mad now! _Gobi says as he walks back into my mind. I start scribbling furiously. _He says he's going to feed you and I to Gaara's sand. I of course told him that I would just bring you back to life because your death would mean my death._

_I hope you didn't tell him that _I _was your host. I don't think that would bode well for me._

_Of course I didn't, but that Gaara kid is a genius. I bet by the time I go back for the last three questions he'll have figured it out._

_Then choose someone else for the last three. _I said angrily. I was not happy with Gobi right now.

_I wouldn't dream of it! _Gobi says happily. I could practically see him waltzing out of my mind to go speak with Gaara and Shukaku again.

I sighed and paused in my writing. I watched Takai who was also scribbling feverishly, and Kakkaku was doing so as well. I wondered how he was cheating, but put it out of my mind as I heard a soft thump and turned my head to look at Gaara who's hand was now curled into a fist which he had just thumped on the desk. He was full on glaring at me now and I raised an eyebrow at him.

I startled as sand crawled its way up my desk and settled into words. 'Get your damn wolf out of my HEAD' the sand words said. I smiled brilliantly at Gaara. I knew that this was going to be the only warning I got, exam rules be damned.

_Gobi! _I called and he flashed back into my head.

_Quit tormenting Gaara before he crushes us in his sand._

_Oh come off it, I was just lecturing Shukaku for being a terrible friend to Gaara._

_Really? _I raised an eyebrow and looked at Gaara who glared. I tapped the side of my head and smirked. _Go tell Gaara thanks for the answers then go tell Takai and Nibi what we found out. Also, check on Kakkaku, and _don't _start anything with Nibi or Takai will skin me alive._

_Oh fine. You can be such a grouch. _Gobi left my mind yet again and I finished filling out the answers. I leaned back in my chair, tipping precariously on the back legs as I watched the clock count down the last fifteen or so minutes of the test.

I chanced another glance at Gaara and he looks murderous in the seat next to me. I sigh and leave him to his angry thoughts, which probably included how to feed me to his sand.

Gobi comes back to me when there is less than five minutes to go. _Sorry, pup, but I had to help Kakkaku. His answers were dreadful._

_Uh, huh, and what did Takai and Nibi say?_

_Nibi of course told me to leave, but Takai listened to what I had to say and seemed quite surprised about the one tail. Nibi on the other hand said that I needed to get out and mind my own business._

_Sounds typical of her. And what did Gaara say?_

_Well since he figured out that I belonged to you, I told him that you said thanks and that I would tell you to be his friend if he wanted. Did you know he has also perfected a mental glare? I feel like Shukaku must get it a lot._

_Gee, thanks for volunteering my friendship. _I say sarcastically. _Now zip it, Ibiki will be speaking again soon._

_Fine. Be an ass._

I shut myself off to Gobi and stretch just as Ibiki calls everyone's attention.

"All right you lumps, everyone left here was not caught cheating. This means you can advance to the tenth question. But be warned, if you get the tenth question wrong, you will be disqualified from the exams."

I look sharply at Ibiki. This was an interesting twist.

"Anyone who doesn't want to attempt the tenth question may raise their hands and be disqualified. However if you do, your whole team will be disqualified." Ibiki stares at all of us. "Anyone who wishes to end the exam now, may raise their hand."

I found it surprising how many chunin hopefuls raised their hands. When everyone who didn't want to attempt the question had left (and after an outburst from Naruto) Ibiki smiled at all of us.

"Congratulations! You passed!" He says happily, smiling.

"What!?" Naruto starts freaking out by I just sigh in relief. I really didn't want ot have to send Gobi to go pick Gaara's brain again. He was still sitting stiffly next to me and I could feel glares coming off of him every few seconds.

I was distracted by the sound of breaking glass and laughed as Anko flew through the now broken window. "Listen up maggots! I'm your proctor for the next exam. Be at the forest of death tomorrow by ten AM. Don't be late!"

I cheered as I stood up and pushed my way past Gaara, who didn't stop staring at me. I congregate with Takai and Kakkaku. Boy did they need to be filled in on things.

**AN: So what do you think? Reviews make me happy!**


	3. Welcome to the Jungle

_"In the jungle_  
_Welcome to the jungle_  
_Watch it bring you to your_  
_knees, knees_  
_I wanna watch you bleed"_

**Chapter 3: Welcome to the Jungle (Guns n' Roses)**

"What?" Kakkaku asks, his eyes becoming as big as saucers.

"That Gaara kid we ran into two days ago has the Ichibi." I repeat. Takai, Kakkaku and I are all huddling in a circle, sneaking glances over our shoulders to make sure we weren't overheard. We were standing as close as we could to the electrified fence surrounding the Forest of Death, hoping the malevolent hum of electricity would keep others away and drown out our voices. It was working for the most part. If anyone came to close Takai and I would glare and up our killing intent until they moved on.

"That would explain a lot actually." Takai says, blinking her amber eyes slowly. Kakkaku and I look at her questioningly. "Well, Naruto has the three whisker marks on both his cheeks, I have eyes like a cat, and you Kira have unnaturally long canines. I didn't notice it at first, but that can't be eyeliner or black face paint around Gaara's eyes. The Ichibi is a raccoon dog cross, so the rings are like the mask on a raccoon."

I nod my head at her words, twirling a strand of my blonde hair around my finger. "If I didn't use a henge to shorten my fangs, they'd jut out of my mouth a good half inch. My fangs are not be nearly as small as Kiba's." I glance at Kiba, whose fangs just barely overlap his bottom lip.

"So, that makes four jinchuriki competing in the chunin exams. Almost half of all the bijuu." Kakkaku says, glancing over his shoulder. The sand siblings weren't far off, and we were all nervous that they would overhear our conversation.

"Well, we should get down to business." Takai says, pointing discreetly at the pouch on her hip. "Where should we hide our scroll?"

I glance at the heaven scroll in our position, mulling over the different ideas we had come up with earlier before I changed the subject. "Why not place it under a henge, change it into a kunai or shuriken?" I say, crossing my arms. My thoughts weren't completely on the task at hand. While zoning out for most of the rules, I had been planning the best courses of action. My team was at a disadvantage because of that damned Kabuto. Most of the teams now knew our abilities, and we had some impressive stats. No doubt that we would be targeted by the strongest of the genin. The rest would probably do their best to avoid us.

"While that's a pretty good idea, we might accidentally use it for a weapon." Takai says, again glancing at the surrounding teams. We would be ushered to our gate soon, so we were all nervous. Even though Anko had made it clear that there was to be no fighting before getting into the forest, I was still weary of the other teams.

"How about we use the henge and transform it into my nose ring?" I ask, that stroke of brilliance coming from the sun striking on the gem, causing me to look at my nose cross-eyed.

"Hmmm…" Kakkaku glances at me, and then Takai's hip pouch. "That's not a bad idea."

"I'll still need to hang onto the stud, so we'll have to transform something else into the scroll." I say, pulling out an old kunai knife to pick my teeth. "We can use this." I say as I continue picking my teeth.

"Kira…" Takai sighs, looking at me like I'm an idiot.

"What? I needed some way to pull this out without causing suspicion, so I picked my teeth with it. Almost all the teams will have seen me do it a some point now, so most teams won't think twice about it." I say defensively.

"Alright, so once we get to our gate, we'll do the henge." Kakkaku says, as he looks at Anko, who has started yelling at everyone.

I roll my eyes at the kunoichi, used to her abnormal behavior. I pull both my teammates towards our gate, eager to get the henge over with.

Once we reach the gate we carefully check for spying eyes, while I twist my nose ring out. I inspect it carefully, then focus my attention on our scroll. "Henge!" I quickly change the scroll into my nose ring and take it from Kakkaku who had been holding it. I carefully twist the scroll-turned-to-nose-ring into my nose, then I transform the kunai in my hand into the scroll. Takai grabs it from me and stuffs it into her pouch. I give her a dirty look before transforming my nose ring into a fingerless glove and putting it on. "There, that's much better!" I say, sighing happily.

We tense as the door to our gate slowly swings open. "Well then, shall we go find ourselves an earth scroll?" Takai says, her eyes narrowing in excitement. I smile dangerously at my teammates and then we all leap into the forest, running through the trees.

It doesn't take long for us to abandon the trees as we are attacked by fierce leech like things as big as an adult human. "Katon: Endan!" I shout spewing flame bullets at the offending monsters. They squeal in pain, letting go of Kakkaku, who was covered in the greenish grey things. He flips out of the tree he had been trapped in, landing next to Takai and I, an appreciative smile gracing his lips. "Watch where you're going next time, 'kay?" I ask, tilting my head cutely at him.

"It's not my fault they dropped out of nowhere!" He shouts at me.

"Quit fighting you two, you're going to draw attention to us!" Takai hisses.

"Oh quit worrying."

"Kira!" I wince in pain as Takai stomps on my toes.

"Takai!" I elbow her hard in the boob.

"You're gonna get it!" Takai says, winding up to throw a punch my way.

"Would you two just stop it!? I swear, you two fight like cats and dogs." Kakkaku says, sweat dropping.

"I am a dog." I say.

"I am a cat." Takai says at the same time.

"Uh…" Kakkaku doesn't have a good comeback for that so he backs away from us slowly.

"Oh we won't attack you, we need you to help us find the earth scroll that we'll need." I say happily. "But Takai and I can always hurt you later!"

"Oh brother." Takai says. "Let's just get a move on."

We leap across the ground, searching for another team to fight. I was confident we would get out of here in one day.

* * *

"I can't believe we didn't run into anyone last night!" I complain as I help break down our campsite.

"I know…" Takai says, suspicion in her voice. "I figured at least one strong team would have come after us, and the sand siblings were always looking at us out of the corner of their eyes before we moved to our gate so I figured they would come find us for sure."

"Who knows? Remember what Kabuto said, Gaara came back from all his missions without a scratch." Kakkaku says, running a hand through his short and spikey brown hair. "For all we know he could be at the tower already."

"Hmmm… Plausible. When I was cheating in the first exam I had Houkou go into his head to get the answers from him. When he went the third time, sand shaped itself into words on my desk. Perhaps he can control sand?" I ask as I speculate. "I'm pretty sure his sister uses a giant fan. I can't think of anything else that big that's rectangular and can be used as a ninja tool."

"Well, we're not going to find an earth scroll talking about those three. Let's make short work of the first team we can find. Hopefully they'll have an earth scroll." Takai says leaping off into the trees, on high alert for more leeches.

* * *

We'd made it to the tower a mere five hours into the exam with both our scrolls. I had immediately detached myself from my brother and sister. I couldn't get the girl from yesterday out of my mind. She was like me. But how in the hell did Gobi get into my mind? It was disturbing.

_I bet her blood would taste good…_

I close my eyes, trying to picture how her blood would taste. I'd never had the blood of another jinchuriki before. Mother assured me it would be the best.

_It will be the sweetest taste to ever grace your tongue. Better than anything you've ever tasted…_

My tongue flicked out and licked my bottom lip. My eyes flew open. _Yes, her blood will be sweet… _I walked off, anticipating the time when she would make it to the tower too. Then, I would have the opportunity to taste her, to revel in the sweetness of her blood.

* * *

I sneeze violently, unable to hold it in. The ninja we were spying on all whipped their heads around. Their headbands revealed they were participants from the Hidden Grass. _Really? _I think to myself. _I had to sneeze, geez. Takai is going to beat the shit out of me after this fight…_

I flip out of the tree, at the same time disabling the henge that's hiding my teeth. Anything that can help scare these guys the better. I feel rather than see Takai and Kakkaku follow me out of the tree. I take a defensive stance, whipping out my beautiful chakra blades and channeling my wind chakra into them.

"Well, well, well… Look at what we have here, some Konoha genin. All the others have been a cakewalk. I'm sure these will be no different." One of them says, a hand on his hips.

I scowl at him, taking in every little detail. His team consisted of two boys and one girl. The girl hung back a little, so I sent Houkou out to deliver this finding to the other two.

_Told them. They said that she might not necessarily be the weakest on the team. _He says as he comes back to my mind.

_Disguise your presence and look into their minds. _I answer back.

_A please would be nice._

_Please. _I growl, the tone of my voice clearly indicating that I didn't have the patience.

_Temper, temper. _Houkou no Gobi says as he leaves my mind.

I run at the first grass genin, my blades made sharper by my chakra. I slice when I'm about three feet away, extending my chakra. He dodges, but not fast enough as a shallow scratch erupts across his left cheek. I smile dangerously at him.

I see Takai out of the corner of my eye as she charges at the female and Kakkaku goes after the other boy, his katana out. My attention returns to the man in front of me, his eyes wide in shock as he puts a hand up to wipe his cheek. I growl menacingly, my sneer made more sinister by the fangs protruding out of my mouth.

"You'll pay for that!" He says, as his hands flash through hand seals. "Doton: Ganban Kyu!" Two rocks fly at me and I leap out of the way as they smash together with crushing force.

"You'll have to do better than that!" I shout, furiously making hand seals while I'm in the air. "Rairyu no Tatsumaki!" I smile happily as my dragon snarls at my opponent. I direct it to swallow the grass nin and am satisfied when I see his feet disappear into my dragon's mouth, next I direct it at the only female member of the grass team and she too is swallowed. I hold the jutsu and watch Kakkaku's battle. Just then Houkou pops back into my mind, almost making me lose concentration on the chakra control needed to keep the dragon alive.

_Well, the last one is almost done for, he's no match for Kakkaku, and you're in luck they have a heaven and an earth scroll._

_Thanks Houkou. Which one has the scrolls?_

_The guy your dragon swallowed first._

_Ok then. _I disperse the chakra that's keeping the jutsu alive and am pleased as the two grass ninja my dragon had swallowed fall to the ground, unconscious. This distracts the last member of the team, who receives a lethal stab in the chest from Kakkaku's blade. He smirks in triumph as the grass nin falls to the ground.

I hurriedly search the unconscious form of my opponent and find the two scrolls. I set fire to the extra heaven scroll, before using henge to transform the earth scroll into another fingerless glove, which I put on.

"Where's my button?" I ask, looking around.

Kakkaku sighs and pulls a red thing out of his pocket and holds it in the palm of his hand. I run over and smack it.

"That was easy!" The little automated voice says. I giggle happily as my teammates roll their eyes at me and Kakkaku re-pockets the little red button.

"You are so retarded…" Takai mutters before stalking off. Kakkaku and I hurry to follow her.

We walk for several hours through the forest. Now that we have the Earth scroll that we needed (which I had turned into a hair pony to tie my hair back with), we were content to take our sweet time in getting back to the tower. The area we were walking through now was eerily quiet. Not even the birds were chirping. I sniff the air cautiously and catch a faint scent. I take a deep breath in, and worry crosses my face, which doesn't go unnoticed.

"What is it?" Kakkaku asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Do you smell that?" I ask, scrunching my nose in distaste.

Takai sniffs the air, then opens her mouth to draw the scent over the glands in the roof of her mouth, an inherited trait from the Nekomata. "Death." She hisses, turning to give Kakkaku and I a serious look.

I put my nose to the air, concentrate on the scent, and start tracking. After about twenty minutes, I finally find the end of the scent trail. Blood spatters most of the little clearing, and a discarded green umbrella rests in a giant puddle of congealed blood. There is only one body, dead, and already starting to decompose. Flies buzz happily around the clearing, most of them on the dead nin's body.

"Gross." I mutter, before leading my team around the killing grounds.

"I wonder what the hell happened there?" Kakkaku asks.

"People died." Takai says. I grin at her and Kakkaku sweat drops.

"What I want to know is who did that." I state as we continue on our way to the tower.

"Whoever it was is someone we need to be on the lookout for." Takai mutters, glancing over her shoulder in the direction of the clearing.

"Agreed." Kakkaku and I say, as we start heading towards the tower once again.

* * *

Finally, after walking most of the day, the tower was in sight. I grin happily before picking up the pace, and I'm soon in a full on run towards the tower.

"Kira!" Takai says, rushing to catch up. "Slow down there could be—"

"Traps." Kakkaku finishes as three rain shinobi jump out in front of us.

"What do we have here? The three Konoha genin from the written exam… The healer, wind user, and the one with all five chakra natures…" One of the rain shinobi smirks at us, and I glare at him, releasing the henge that makes my canines normal size for the second time today.

"Oh, this one has fangs." Another mocks, pointing at me, a sneer on his face. Really under different circumstances he would have been cute, but this was a life or death situation.

"Why don't you come over here so I can use these fangs to tear you apart?" I growl, upping my killing intent.

"And she's feisty. I've got dibs on Fang." The guy says, before launching at me.

I backflip out of the way and land several feet away. I have no time to watch Kakkaku and Takai, because the ninja in front of me is determined to keep me focused. He unleashes a volley of kunai my way, and I'm forced to dodge repeatedly.

"Suiton: Lekuu no Jutsu!" The guy in front of me spews icicles at me and I flash through my hand signs to retaliate.

"Katon: Endan!" My flame bullets parry each of my enemy's icicle spears, but the guy looks unfazed by this.

"Suiton: Mizu Kamikiri!" A large fissure appears in the ground, the crack running straight for me. Water bursts forth and flies towards me. I can barely dodge away, and I get a nice laceration to my supple thigh as a reward for being too slow.

I growl at the man angrily. _Ready for a little control Gobi?_

_You bet._

I loosen the seal just enough, and I let Gobi take over a small portion of my body. Gobi puts my body on all fours, sharpens my eye sight, hearing, and sense of smell, and elongates my nails into thick claws. I grin wickedly at the man in front of me as a trace of worry crosses his features. "I'm going to enjoy killing you." Gobi and I say at the same time, creating a weird growling voice.

Gobi and I rush our opponent, going at a much faster speed than last time. His face screams terror as I cross the 50 feet that separate us in less than a second, my claws slashing diagonally down his face. Blood spurts from the wound, and droplets rain down across my face. I flick my tongue out and lick my lips, smiling evilly at my enemy. He tries to back away frantically, but I pounce on him and pin him to the ground. "Say goodbye, douche-bag." I growl sadistically, before I let Gobi come to the forefront of my mind. He growls triumphantly as he reaches down with my mouth and tears into the enemy's shoulder, ripping off a huge chunk of flesh.

_Gross Gobi! _I yell, but make no move to put him back. _I'm going to have to taste that you know!_

_Blood is good… _Gobi trails off as he laps at the blood on the guy's shoulder with my tongue.

_Ugh… This is why I don't let you out more often. _I say, putting mental hands on my mental hips.

"Kira!" Takai shouts. "You know better than to let him out!"

Gobi whips my head around to look at Takai and frowns at her. "Shut it you stupid cat."

"Why you…" Takai begins to storm over to Gobi, murder in her eyes.

"Kira, just put Gobi back." Kakkaku sighs as he restrains Takai from coming over to beat me up.

"Why don't you shout? I don't think everyone heard you." I growl at Kakkaku. _He's right, you had your taste, now you need to go back._

_This guy's not dead yet._

_Well hurry up then! _I shout at the demon, exasperated.

_With pleasure. _Gobi tears into the shoulder area again, ripping off chunks of flesh, going towards the heart region. The man beneath us screams in agony.

"What are you?" He shouts in a scared whimper. He has long since peed himself already.

"Your worst nightmare." Gobi says, before reaching into the guy's now open chest and poking at his heart with a claw. He smiles wickedly with my mouth before he rips the guy's heart out.

_Happy now? _I ask, as I start shoving Gobi back into his shackles.

_For now. I want to be let out again soon._

_We'll see._

I finally open my eyes, under _my _power and glance at the heart in my bloodied hand. I let it drop to the ground, before squashing it with my foot. Blood sprays up to cover me more.

"There's nothing like arriving covered in blood to scare the piss out of the opposition." I say, licking a still abnormally long claw.

Takai rolls her eyes at me. "Let's just go."

* * *

We stalk into the tower and are immediately accosted by Arakita-sensei. She tries to reach for me, and seeing this, I dodge out of the way, but give Takai a push in her direction. She is soon swallowed up in sensei's arms, her face in sensei's boobs once again. "I hate you." Takai says, glaring at me as sensei releases her.

"What the hell happened to you?" Arakita asks, finally actually looking at us. Her eyes bug out of her head as she looks at my blood covered form.

"Well, a certain dog thought it would be fun to kill a rain shinobi." I say, then lower my voice to a whisper. "He tasted pretty good."

"Kira you know better." Sensei says, giving me a disapproving frown.

"What can I say, a girl and her dog have needs you know." I say, grinning.

Sensei rolls her eyes, then holds out her hand. "Scrolls please.

I pull my hair out of its pony tail and give the hair pony to sensei, followed by my nose ring. She looks disgustedly down at the little black gem. I release the henge, and two pristine scrolls poof into existence in sensei's hand.

"Good, now go get washed up. You have to wait here for three days for the rest of the contestants. No picking fights with other shinobi, or you'll be disqualified." Arakita-sensei gives me a pointed look, and I smile.

"I'll behave." I say as I take my fingerless glove off and transform it back into my nose ring, which I twist back into place.

"Don't worry sensei, we'll keep an eye on her." Kakkaku says, always the little angel of the team.

"Good. I have to go turn your scrolls in. You're now on your own until day five." And with that, sensei poofs away.

"Ready to go scout out who made it to the tower already?" I ask, mischief in my eyes as I suck on another still bloodied finger from my fight earlier.

"Yes, let's go." Takai says, rolling her eyes at me.

* * *

"That team from Konoha made it back. The little blonde one is covered in blood. She must be injured real bad." Kankuro says as he paces back into the room, and flops down on a bed.

"No. The guy is a medic. He would've healed her." I state, my arms crossed as I leaned against a wall. I watched as they walked past the door to our room. The girl in question looks at me, a feral smile spreading across her lips. She stops just outside the door, whilst her teammates continue on. Her eyes travel up and down my body, flashing from baby blue to orange, then back again. Her tongue slips between her lips and she licks at a blood covered finger and winks, before walking on.

"She kinda reminds me of you little bro." Kankuro says, watching as the blonde goes to follow her team. Temari whacks him over the head.

"Shut up." I say, looking at Kankuro out of the corner of my eye.

"Just an observation." Kankuro says cautiously.

I glare at him, then stalk out of the room, following the scent of the blood that is covering the girl.

**AN: Sorry I kinda suck at the exams. It's been awhile since I watched them. I'm more knowledgeable about Shippuden, so when I get to that part it'll be better.**

**Jutsu Used:**

**-Katon: Endan(Fire Release, Flame Bullet)- Spews bullets made of fire out of the mouth, C rank.**

**-Doton: Ganban Kyu(Earth Release, Bedrock Coffin)-The user controls rocks in the area to make two separate sections that crush the opponent between them, C rank.**

**-Rairyū no Tatsumaki(Lightning Dragon Tornado)-The user creates a dragon made of lightning that is good for one hit. Swallowing an opponent doesn't count as a hit, but can be if the user disperses the dragon after, C rank.**

**-Suiton: Lekuu no Jutsu(Water Release, Ice Darts Technique)-The user creates ice shards strong enough to shatter rocks, D rank.**

**-Suiton: Mizu Kamikiri(Water Release, Rising Surface Slicer)-Requires no hand signs and generates a jet of water underground strong enough to slice through rocks, C rank.**

**As always, reviews are much appreciated!**


	4. Stray

_"I would like to  
Find a way to open to you  
Been a while, don't know if I remember how to  
I'm here waiting on the edge  
Would I be alright showing myself to you  
It's always been so hard to do"_

* * *

**Chapter 4: Stray (Steve Conte)**

"Maybe I'm a different breed, maybe I'm not listening. Blame it on my ADD baby…" I sing as the warm shower water cascades over my naked body. Blood is still running off of me in rivulets, although I think the majority of what's left is in my hair. "Sail…" I murmur the last bit as I put my head back into the shower spray. A tide of red water runs down to pool around the drain. I smile at it, still on a high from my kill.

I pour some liquid body wash on my hand, and switch to a new song. "God Almighty, look at that body. Flickers like a sticker on a new Ferrari…" I lather up the mesh sponge and start with my arms, scrubbing vigorously. "She's a scene from a Baywatch rerun…" Next comes my torso and toned stomach, then I reach behind to wash my lower back and ass. "Hotter than a barrel on a squeezed machine gun…" I finish with my legs, and I hear the squeaky hinges of the bathroom door as it opens. I move under the spray again and begin rinsing off.

"Takai?" I ask, when no greeting is immediately given. Silence. I glare at the flimsy curtain, and poke my head out, but all I can see is the metal door of the shower stall. "Takai, you're not funny." I huff, sticking my head back under the spray to start washing my hair. I have started washing my hair, when my shower stall bangs open, making me jump a mile high. I quickly rinse my hair, on alert.

"This isn't funny Takai. It's like a bad scene from a horror movie." I growl at the tall shape I can vaguely see through the plastic shower curtain. When I still don't get a reply, I poke my head out, ready to start yelling only to 'eep' in surprise.

"Damnit! Gaara, you're such a creeper!" I screech, reaching out and grabbing my towel. I turn the shower off and wrap up in the white fluffy towel, and step out, glaring at the red haired shinobi. "What the hell are you doing in the lady's bathroom anyways?" I growl as I storm by, grabbing my clothes and moving to another stall to get dressed.

"Who's blood was that?" He asks in a monotone through the stall door.

I quickly yank up my underwear and pull my sports bra over my head. I had three days to relax, so that meant I was going to dress in jammies. "A rain shinobi's." I say as I yank up green plaid jammy bottoms. I twist the towel in my hair and open the stall door. Gaara is standing on the other side, his arms crossed. "Why the hell do you care anyways?"

"How did you kill him?"

I raise a brow at Gaara. "I tore his heart out of his chest." I say.

"Did it feel good to kill him?"

"You are seriously weird. But since you already know, Houkou was thrilled. It felt good to him. It was just a 'meh' for me. Gobi tends to be a little… theatrical."

"You don't love the feeling of being god over someone?" Gaara asks seriously.

"Ok, really? No. I don't love ending a life. I kill out of necessity, but I didn't like this guy, so I let Gobi have some fun. Now get out of the lady's restroom." I say, arms crossed as I glare at the red head.

"I kill to prove my existence." Gaara says, as if it's a treat for answering his questions.

I look at the guy, I mean really look at him. He was completely serious, his blank eyes studying my face. I wondered which reaction he was looking for. "Killing doesn't prove an existence. It just proves that you're a killer." I say. "Killing someone to prove your existence has seriously got to be the most fucked up thing I've ever heard."

Gaara scowls at me and the cork in his gourd comes out with a squeak and a soft 'pop'. Sand starts sliding out, circling malevolently around my body. "Mother says your blood will taste sweet." He states.

"Uh, hello? Houkou won't let me die. He'll just restore me to being fighting fit." I say, non-plussed by his macho-like behavior. I roll my eyes when the sand just closes in on me. "Ja. Ne." I growl out, disappearing in a cloud of smoke and reappearing in me and my teammate's room.

I lean over and vigorously dry my hair with the towel I had attached to my head earlier. I flip my head up and stalk over to the vanity and angrily tear through the snarls in my blonde hair.

"What's got your panties in a bunch?" Takai asks, as she eyes me over her JTHM comic.

"Stupid Gaara thought it would be fun to accost me in the bathroom." I grind out, ruthlessly tying my hair into two low ponytails.

"What did he do?" Takai asks, putting away her comic to come stand behind me.

"Asked me a bunch of stupid questions. That guy has issues." I shake my head to clear it, after tossing the brush onto the vanity. "He wanted to know if I liked killing, if being the god over someone as I decide their fate feels good." I turn to face Takai, who looks at me curiously. "You know I don't. Remember my first kill? I cried for nearly a week."

"Sensei trained that out of you."

"It still doesn't take away the guilt. I may seem like I enjoy it, but it's mostly Gobi who likes that sort of thing. I escape by giving him power over my emotions."

Takai puts her hand on my shoulder for comfort and I snuggle against her. Very rarely do the two of us show affection for the other like this, but we can always sense when the other needs more support than normal. Takai takes me over to the bed and tucks me in before sliding in on the other side. I snuggle against her back as a silent tear for the man I killed escapes.

* * *

I glare at the spot where Kira had been a moment before. _How does she know the teleportation jutsu already?_

_You use a teleportation jutsu. _The voice in my head points out. I glare at the raccoon as he shuffles around in his loose restraints.

_Shut up. _I stalk out of the bathroom, following the little zing I can feel in the back of my head. I soon find her room and peak through the open door. She is snuggled against her female teammate, her face pressed against Takai's back. I listen intently and hear a small sniffle, which is closely followed by another.

_You're asking for trouble… But I can't deny how sweet she smells…_

I ignore the voice, and move away from the doorframe. I hear movement from the room and peek in again. Takai is glaring at me and Kira is sitting up, tears streaming down her face. She looks up, sees me, and looks away. I glare at her and stalk away. I had no tolerance for crybabies.

_It's your own damn fault you know._

_I told you never to come into my head again! _I yell at the white wolf. He glares at me and growls for me to shut up.

_She's crying because of you. She has never once enjoyed killing, and you marching in and spouting off about feeling like a god when you have a person's fate in your control reminded her of how terrified the guy was. _Gobi stops his tirade long enough to show me visions of the battle, and I was forced to watch as Kira's wicked canines tore through the man's flesh, as she reached in and plucked out his heart, as she crushed the heart with her foot. And then the feeling of guilt washed over me in a powerful tidal wave. _Every time she kills, she lets me take the wheel. Because her guilt in the aftermath is one hundred times worse when she is the one actually doing the killing. She is not a heartless killer, and I would never force her to become one. You need to change. I can feel your interest in her, your curiosity. If you want to sate your curiosity, you need to become a better person. And the first thing you need to do, is stop listening to Shukaku. _With that the wolf is gone, and I'm left to my own thoughts.

* * *

The next morning I feel bright and chipper again. I fling the covers off my body, throw on some deodorant and saunter out into the hall, my nose leading me down to the kitchens. My mouth waters as I open each door of the three fridges, finding something tastier in each fridge. I finally settle on a raw steak and set the oven to broil. I find a broiler pan and toss the steak on it. Next I find some oil, salt, and pepper. With a fork I prick the steak all over, then add a splash of oil over the top, spreading it around. Next I take the sea salt grinder and sprinkle it over the top of my steak, followed by the pepper from the pepper grinder.

I sniff out an onion and then I find a knife, carrying both over to the metal table smack dab in the middle of the room. I chop up half the onion, then dance my way across the room and get a sauté pan. I rummage in one of the fridges again and pull out some butter. I set the pan on the stove, setting the temperature to high before plopping a dollop of butter in the pan.

I open the stove and toss in my steak, and set the old fashioned spin timer for five minutes. By now the butter has started sizzling in the sauté pan and I toss in the onions, still dancing my way about the kitchen. A laugh behind me gets my attention and I whip around, the knife I used to chop the onion brandished high.

I glare at the man standing in the doorway, and then recognition registers. "You're Gaara's brother, right?"

"Kankuro." He nods, smiling as his eyes rake up and down my body appreciatively. "I wasn't expecting anyone to be up yet."

"I'm a morning person." I say as I turn back to the onions. I lift the pan up and flip the onions around, then set it back on the heat. The timer dings loudly and I look around frantically for oven mitts. I finally find a pair and take my steak out of the oven. The oil sizzles hotly in the catch pan as I set it on the counter. Using the knife I hadn't put down, I flip the thick steak and then toss it back in. I set the timer for another five minutes, then toss the onions once more.

"Steak and onions for breakfast?" Kankuro asks, raising a brow at me.

"Hey, I like my protein. Plus I'm having a craving, which means I'm going to be visited by Aunt Flow soon." I say, then giggle when I catch sight of Kankuro's face.

"That's just too much…" Kankuro says, miming a puking gesture.

"Hey, you asked. As my father used to say, I have no class."

"Used to say?" Kankuro asks.

"It's none of your business." I say darkly, glaring.

"Okay, okay. Would you—." Kankuro breaks off as Gaara brushes in past him, and I glare at the red head.

"I'm mad at you." I say, turning my back on him pointedly. I feel Gaara glaring at me, and I smile at him sinisterly. "Next time you want to ask me questions about killing, don't accost me in the bathroom, while I'm in the shower." I bare my fangs at the red head, and he gives me an icy stare before rummaging in one of the fridges.

I glance over at Kankuro, his jaw on the floor as he looks between me and Gaara. I shrug at him, and then nearly jump out of my skin as the timer goes off again. I rush to put the oven mitts back on and I pull my sizzling steak out of the oven. "Yes, steak…" I whisper to myself, throwing my steak and some onions on a plate.

I settle at the metal table and dig in. The steak melts in my mouth and I can't help moaning in pleasure. My steak was perfect, medium-rare, just like I liked. And the onions were sweet and buttery, only serving to enhance the flavor of my steak more.

Gaara plops down in a seat across from me, a bowl of cereal in front of him. I raise an eyebrow at him, then look at Kankuro, who is staring at his brother like he has two heads.

"Are you going to come eat Kankuro?" I ask. "I'll share my steak, just grab a plate."

"Uh… sure…" Kankuro still seems astounded as he takes a seat next to me and I cut my steak in half. I plop his half on the plate he brought over, then get up and get the onions and spoon the rest onto his plate.

"Oh, and next time you come to Konoha, try not to pick on the Third's grandson." I say as I take a seat next to him. "Naruto won't like it, and trust me, you don't want to piss the kid off, especially now that he's learning… well, never mind." I say, smiling sweetly before tucking back into my meal.

"What's so special about the loudmouth?" Kankuro asks, eyeing me questioningly.

"Well, let's just say… he's like me."

"What does that mean?"

"Ask your brother." I say, giving Gaara a knowing look. His eyes register slight surprise as he spoons some cereal into his mouth.

"Gaara?" Kankuro asks, looking questioningly at his brother.

"…" Gaara stares at Kankuro, blinking slowly, before getting up and putting his empty bowl in the sink. "I would like to speak with you later, in private." Gaara says to me, before leaving the kitchen.

"What crawled up his ass and died?" I ask sarcastically.

"He could kill you, you know. Don't piss him off." Kankuro says to me.

I roll my eyes at the guy. "I can't die."

"That's ridiculous. Everyone can die."

"Everyone except me, Takai, Naruto and Gaara." I say, hoping he gets the point. Kankuro just stares at me quizzically. I sigh and shake my head. "You'll find out soon enough, I suppose." I say as I bring my dishes to the sink.

"What do you four have in common?" Kankuro asks, looking truly dumbfounded.

"Think about it long and hard. I'm sure you'll figure it out." I giggle as I leave the room.

* * *

I scratched my head as I surveyed the kitchen. According to the guy sitting at the table, Kira had been here earlier, but had left just moments ago, chasing after his brother he assumed. "What's so special about your brother?" I ask as I find some waffles and pop them into a toaster.

"I have no idea. The last thing she said was that she was like my brother and then took off. I can't see how they're alike though." The guy in the black jumpsuit shrugs, then returns to his steak and onions.

"Steak for breakfast?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Kira made it."

"That explains a lot actually. Eating meat is in her nature. She couldn't be a vegetarian even if she tried." I say, closing my eyes and nodding my head.

"So how come she's being so nice to her opponents, you too for that matter?"

"Well, I'm a medic nin, so being nice and calm is part of my training. Kira just has a kind heart in general. Although she's slowly losing that kindness the older she gets…"

"How's that?"

"Let's just say that she has a friend who has a lot of influence on her personality. She's great at pretending to be tough, but the toughness she tries to exude is slowly taking over." I grab my waffle and tear into it without any syrup. "Well, have a good day." I say, raising a hand in farewell as I leave the kitchen.

* * *

I find Gaara in an abandoned rec room, and plop down on a bean bag chair. He ignores me for a minute, then walks over to stand by me. "Why don't you like to kill?"

"Well, because killing for no reason is wrong. The only reason I killed that rain nin was because he was going to kill me if I didn't kill him first. Why do you like to kill so much?" I ask, rolling onto my stomach on the bean bag and folding my arms under my head.

"When I was a child, my Uncle tried to kill me, on the order of my father, the Kazekage."

My eyes bug out of my head as I stare at the red head. "You're father put a hit out on you?" I whisper.

"Yes. It was then that I realized that I will never be loved, and I have to love myself. And I love only myself. I have no love for my father, my brother or my sister. They are an annoyance. And so because I have to love myself I kill to prove my existence. How do you prove your existence?" He asks me seriously, veiled curiosity on his face.

"Well… to understand I have to take you way back, to when I was a small child…"

* * *

"Mommy, why are all the other kids mean to me?" My four year old self asks. Mommy was holding my hand tightly, holding me close to her as we walked through the village.

"Hush little Chibi. They just don't understand you." Mommy says, kneeling in front of me on the sidewalk. I look up at her with big baby blue eyes, as she caresses my face with one hand. I nuzzle into it, a soft smile lighting my face. Mommy smiles at me before picking me up and carrying me on her hip. I snuggle into her warm neck, instantly feeling safer in her arms.

"What don't they understand?" I ask innocently.

"They don't understand how very special you are." Mommy says, kissing my forehead.

"What makes me so special?" Oh, the insatiable appetite of a child.

"You have a gift inside you that makes you special. Now no more questions, it's time to go home." Mommy says sternly, adjusting me on her hip as she dashes through the streets of Iwa.

We get home and Mommy sets me down. I take off my little sandals and place them neatly on the shoe mat before dashing off, looking for Daddy. "Daddy, daddy!" I shout as I find him in his study.

"Hello Kira." He smiles at me and gathers me up on his lap. I hug him around the neck and a plant a soft, wet kiss on his cheek. He pats my head, then runs his fingers through my golden blonde hair. I giggle and bat his hands away.

"You'll mess up my hair!" I squeal, smiling.

"A little girl should be messy sometimes."

"Noooo. Mommy says that little boys are supposed to be messy, and that little girls should be neat and clean."

"Oh she does, does she?" Daddy chuckles, mussing up my hair again. "Well, I guess I'll just have to tell her that _my _little girl should be messy once in awhile." Daddy chuckles, before tickling my sides.

"No Daddy, no!" I laugh, squirming out of his grip and moving several paces away.

"Go help Mommy with dinner, chibi. Daddy has to finish his reports." Daddy smiles at me once more, and then turns back to his desk.

I scamper out of the study and find Mommy in the kitchen, cooking something on the stove. "Daddy says that little girls are supposed to be messy sometimes." I say clinging to her leg.

"Oh he did, huh?" Mommy asks, smiling down at me.

"Yes."

"Well, my little girl doesn't get dirty, ne Kira?"

"Hai Mommy!" I say squeezing Mommy's leg and then running off.

I go into my room and over to the old doll house that had belonged to Mommy when she was little. I gently pick up the porcelain little girl doll, and hug her to my chest. Mommy had her specially made to look like me. I smooth the blonde wavy hair with a hand, before tucking her into one of the beds in the doll house.

A warning siren blares in the distance suddenly, and seconds later Mommy and Daddy are standing in my doorway. I jump at their grim faces, and Mommy scoops me up in her arms.

"Get Kira to the safe house." Daddy says, kissing Mommy on the cheek, and then kissing me on the forehead. "I have to go to the front lines."

"Right." Mommy says, as she watches Daddy hurry away, worry in her eyes. "Come on little one." Mommy opens my closet door, moves my clothes around, and pushes a secret button in the wall. A small door just big enough for Mommy to crawl through opens in my wall.

"Go on Kira." Mommy says, ushering me towards the yawning dark hole in the wall.

"I'm scared Mommy." I whine, clinging to her legs.

"Do as you're told." Mommy says sternly.

I look at her with wide eyes, then cautiously crawl through the entrance. A small light comes on as I cross the threshold. I turn to look for Mommy, but panic sets in when the wall thuds shut, closing me off from Mommy. "Mommy, mommy!" I screech, pounding on the seamless door.

"Follow the tunnel Kira. Mommy will be waiting at the other end, I promise."

I put my ear to the door, but all I hear is retreating footsteps. "Mommy…" I cry, large tears streaming down my face. After several minutes, I start crawling, following the long tunnel. Lights turn on every twenty feet or so, showing me the path. I crawl for what feels like forever, but finally, I see natural sunlight at the end. I pick up the pace and stop at the end. Large metal bars keep me from going any further. I sit at the end, my knees drawn up to my chest.

I sit like this for what seems like an eternity, but finally I see Mommy's face, her Rock headband glinting in the sun. The bars slowly grind up, and Mommy grabs me in a fierce hug. She puts me on her back, and I wrap my arms around her neck and my legs around her waist.

Mommy leaps away, carrying me through the trees at an impossible pace. I bury my face in Mommy's back, but look up when we stop suddenly. "Mommy?"

"Shh." Mommy hushes me, then leaps backwards, three kunai sticking out of the tree branch we had just been on.

"I'm scared." I whimper, tears leaking out again.

"I know baby." Mommy says as five ninja step out of hiding. They had headbands different from Mommy's, three spiky points, like three connected mountain. Mommy took out several ninja weapons of her own.

"A female ninja escaping with her child…" One of them mutters, an evil smile on his face.

"This will be fun." Another says, stepping back and throwing several shuriken towards us.

Mommy leaps to a clump of grass and puts me down. "Remember how I taught you to hide your chakra?" Mommy whispers hurriedly. I nod my head yes. "Do it now, and run. Don't come looking for me, ok Kira? Run and don't stop until you find someone with a headband like Mommy's.

"But…" I start to protest.

"Now." Mommy hisses, and I bolt through the grass, running as fast as my little legs can carry me.

* * *

**AN: Two chapters in 24 hours, I'm on a roll! Leave a review and let me know what you think!**


	5. This I Know

_"Let my soul be a silent sword  
Conceived in the fire of war  
I am the ruthless bane of the wicked world  
And I preyed on the killing sworn  
When I carve my name across this place it is  
True to violent pain and by your ways"_

* * *

**Chapter 5: This I Know (Demon Hunter)**

There is no sound accept for the slap of my feet on the ground as I run for it, leaving Mommy behind me with the five enemy ninja. I kept running, but I just wanted to see Mommy, and I wanted Daddy. Why was everything falling apart? Why where these people attacking us?

"Lookee here…" A deep male voice says, making me skid to a stop, my head snapping up in fear. He was tall with black hair, and cold eyes. He had a headband like the people who had attacked Mommy, and he was smiling at me evilly.

I run in the opposite direction, but my bare feet are soon skidding in the dirt once again as the man appears in front of me, laughing. I was so scared, Mommy was fighting, Daddy was gone; I was alone. "Please." I whimper, bowing my head low. "I just need…" A hand on the back of my neck makes me freeze, and then I'm lifted up in the air. I scrabble at the hand that is holding me in the air, frantically trying to get away.

_I can help you… _A rumbling voice says. My eyes dart around, but I don't see anyone except the enemy ninja across from me. He approaches me, looking me over, and I can only stare at him in fear.

"Where were you going, hmm?" The enemy ninja asks, faking sweetness.

"Mommy told me to run." I whimper, as whoever is holding the back of my neck squeezes tighter, pushing on the pressure points in my neck. The ninja in front of me nods and I'm tossed to the dirt. I try to scramble away, but a hand twists into my hair, forcing my neck back to look into the face of another ninja, this one also a man. He grins at me, but his eyes are cold. He drags me by my hair to the other ninja, forcing me to kneel, pulling my head back once again.

"Please…" Tears start leaking from my eyes, and I sniffle. Mommy had told me to always be strong, but it was so hard…

The one who had questioned me earlier strikes me across the face, and I wail in pain, sobbing in earnest now. "Shut. Up." A swift kick to one of my legs has my eyes stinging again, but I hold in my cries.

_If you let me help you, I can make it stop… _The rumbling voice is there again. I look around frantically, but there is no friendly face here. _Just tell me to help you…_

"Please, help me!" I shout up at the sky and the rumbling voice chuckles happily.

* * *

The girl cries, shouting to the sky for help. I laugh at her, and yank her head back further. Her eyes are closed, tears still streaming down her face. "What's the point of picking on some girl? She's not even old enough to be in the academy." I say to my partner, who is still staring at the girl thoughtfully.

"She was hiding her chakra, and was good at it. This girl can't be more that five or six, and for such an accomplishment at her age… She's special." My partner says, taking restraints out of his hip pouch. He leans in front of the girl and starts binding her hands and feet. The little blond haired girl remains still, her eyes still closed as tears streamed down her face.

I release her hair and her head falls forward, her chin nearly touching her chest. I start making hand seals, getting ready to seal her mouth shut when something strange happens. Her eyes snap open, and a feral growl escapes her lips. She glances at me, her eyes now a deep orange as she tracks my every movement. I take a step back in surprise, and my movement makes my partner take notice.

"What, afraid of a little girl?" He mocks. His smile is wiped off his face as orange chakra leaks through her body, destroying the ropes in mere seconds. I take a good few steps back, pulling out a kunai, my partner doing the same.

The girl stands, an evil smirk contorting her lips, as long sharp fangs come down past her chin. The chakra around her body takes shape. I watch as she goes down on all fours, the orange chakra on her head taking on the shape of ears, and the chakra by her butt forms into five tails. Wet snaps, pops, and cracks echo around us as the little girls body transforms in front of her eyes. Her appearance was becoming more like a canine's as each agonizing second passes.

I blink, and suddenly she's gone, but I can still feel the evil chakra as it leaks from her body. I watch in horror as she appears behind my partner, a vicious clawed hand slamming into his face, making him fly through the air like a missile. I knew there was no way for him to survive that. The little girl looks at me with demonic orange eyes. A feral grin spreads across her face, and I run for it.

A clawed hand grabs the back of my vest and spins me around. The girl looks more like a malevolent wolf now, and she lets out an angry growl in my face. Her other hand reaches up at the same time as a canine skull comes up over her face, the bones bleached white. I feel her pull, and suddenly I don't exist.

* * *

Kira looks from the enemy's head in one hand, to his body in the other. She snarls, then tosses both body and head away and leaps high into the trees. She surveys her surroundings, and like the wolf she is turning into she howls into the air.

All ninja within hearing distance snap their heads up and look towards the howl. Kira's mother is distracted, just as her enemies are and stares towards her daughter in horror. "Fuck." She says, leaping away. She had to find her husband, if she didn't, they might lose their daughter forever.

Kira's mother's enemies don't pursue, they just get out of there, running for it. Kira sees it and growls, before leaping after them. She is upon them in less than two seconds. The ninja all skid to a halt and stare up in fear at the humanoid form with wolf bones attaching themselves to her body. A black ball of condensed chakra forms in her mouth and she spits it out at the ninja before her. They scramble to get out of the way, but all fail and are obliterated.

Kira roars her pleasure, before more shinobi turn up, weapons drawn. Several start making hand seals, but the orange chakra forms into a hand and swipes, knocking several ninja off their feet, tumbling across the ground. A malicious laugh twists out of her mouth, as the bones on her body begin fusing together, and a muscular system starts knitting across the bones. One of her clawed hands reach out, and she scoops several ninja up, hurling them as far as she can.

The remaining half a dozen ninja scatter, blazing trails scenting of fear through the forest. A howl tears past the child-turned-demon's lips as she grows to an enormous size, clearly visible over the tops of the trees, and much taller than the tallest building in Iwa. White fur begins sprouting across her body, her five tails whipping, causing damage as they slam into the ground, forever changing the landscape.

* * *

"Kira!" I shout, trying to be heard over her howl. The enormous wolf head looks down on me, no recognition in her eyes. A giant clawed paw swiftly descends upon me, and I leap out of the way just in time, her giant paw landing where I had been milliseconds before. "Oh, my baby…" I whimper to myself as she slowly lifts her paw and growls in frustration when she sees no body.

My husband joins me, standing next to me, worry and fear in his eyes. "How did this happen?" He whispers as Kira's attention is grabbed by a yellow blur flashing through the trees. She roars at it, her paws furiously trying to catch whoever is stupid enough to dance around her paws.

A tail spears out, but as it appears to make contact the little yellow blur vanishes, reappearing many feet away. "I don't know, we were ambushed and I told her to run…" I whisper as a realization steals over me.

My husband looks at my face. "What is it?" He asks worriedly as I keep staring out towards our daughter and the yellow blur dancing about her feet.

"It's… The Yellow Flash of Konoha…" I whisper.

"Damn it! They're the ones who attacked us, and now their Hokage is after our daughter!?" My husband yells, leaping off, me on his heels.

We soar through the trees, but are stopped by four Leaf ninjas. They throw kunai at us, and my husband and I dodge, splitting up.

"Suiton: Suiryūben!" I gasp as an orb of water appears, whip-like fingers lashing out and impaling my husband through the chest, while several more whips fly after me. I dodge as best I can, flipping through the air, but a piercing pain in my leg makes me stumble and lose my footing. I look down to see one of the whips piercing through the flesh of my leg, my muscle no longer able to hold my weight. A second ninja stalks towards me, a kunai raised, and I close my eyes, waiting for the end.

* * *

Ohnoki stared into the distance, watching as Gobi destroyed the forest surrounding Iwa. He sighed in frustration. The attack from Konoha had been unexpected, and in the confusion and hubbub, somehow the child had released the five tailed wolf demon. He shook his head as his assistant burst into the room.

"Sir! We've had a report that the Yellow Flash of Konoha is battling Gobi!" She said breathlessly.

"Send the ANBU, they're best equipped to deal with Gobi and Minato." Ohnoki huffed as my other assistant finished strapping on the last of my armor.

He was not as young as he used to be, and he needed someone strong to back him up. Ohnoki had wanted to avoid this, but the Third Great Shinobi War was raging, and he knew that ultimately there would be no way to avoid a confrontation with someone.

Ohnoki drifted up into the air, and took flight through the open window, heading for the destructive mass of Gobi. Before he gets far however, Gobi's form recedes. "Shit." he mutters to myself, flying faster than he had a moment ago. When he reach the newly made clearing, there is nothing there, not a trace of the Yellow Flash or the child container of the five-tails.

* * *

Minato blinked at the small girl he cradled in his arms. She was a cute little girl, but tonight was her last night in Iwa. After a rendezvous with his other shinobi, he found that they had captured one prisoner, a woman. She had long flowing golden hair that waved about her face. She stared around her defiantly, spitting at those who came too close.

She looked towards the Fourth Hokage as he approached, and her mouth fell open in shock. "My baby!" She screeched, trying to lunge forward.

Minato looked from the girl in his arms, to the bound woman at his feet. "This is your daughter?" He asks kindly, kneeling in front of the woman.

She spits at him, contempt in her eyes. "What did you to do to her?" She hisses.

Minato's eyes widen at the suggestion that he had hurt her. "I have only stopped the rampage." He says sincerely, laying the slumbering girl next to her mother.

The girl's mother quickly leans over her daughter, checking for any injuries. She leans up from her examination, sighing in relief. She glances at Minato out of the corner of her eyes, before nodding once in thanks. A small smile graces his lips as he nods his head in return.

"We must leave now. I have stopped the rampage, and Iwa will need to recuperate. We will take these two with us." Minato says, before picking the girl back up, carrying her much like a parents carries a child who had fallen asleep in their arms.

* * *

I blink at Gaara, who seems totally engrossed in my story; his eyes have never left mine this entire time. "I was never told how the Fourth sealed Gobi away, but I do remember that he was very kind…" I say quietly, thinking back to when I first came to Konoha. "Minato told me that Grass ninja ambushed them and he lost almost half of the shinobi meant to guard him, as well as my mother. He said my mother wanted him to take care of me."

"You never asked why he would stop your rampage?" Gaara asks, his arms still crossed, but instead of standing over me, he had moved and was leaning against a nearby wall, his arms crossed.

"I've always assumed that he was saving himself and his ninja from being annihilated… But, whatever the reason, he brought me to Konoha after. I lived with him and his wife for only a few months before the Kyuubi attack… Then he and his wife sacrificed themselves to defeat the Kyuubi."

"You didn't want to know what his true motive was for taking you with him?"

I shrug my shoulders. It happened  
years ago, and I didn't much care anyways. Here in Konoha I had never been ostracized like in Iwa. A huge factor being that the Third and Fourth Hokage had kept the secret about me, and still only the few who needed to know were aware of it. Poor Naruto on the other hand… I sigh as I think about Naruto, wondering how he was doing out in the forest.

"Nobody knows about me here, and although I miss my parents very much, I've been happy."

"At least your parents didn't try to have you killed."

"What!?" I ask, staring at the red head in front of me in utter disbelief.

* * *

I was sitting on the edge of the balcony, miserable. I had accidentally hurt a girl today, and then Uncle Yashamaru had been hurt protecting the girl. I had wanted to make it up to her, so I asked my Uncle for ointment, and I was so happy that I was doing the right thing that I ran to her house. I knocked on the door eagerly, only to have my gift thrown back in my face.

"Go away, you monster." The girl had sneered at me, before slamming the door.

I sighed and looked at my hands. They were hands like every other person's. They were no different, so why was I so different? _Why am I the only one who is a monster? _I thought sadly to myself.

"What… am I?" I whimpered to myself, my head in my hands. Thoughts of my talk with Yashamaru earlier swirled through my head. _The thing that can cure the wound of a heart is love, _he had told me, eyes bright.

I hunched over, crying, one hand gripping my chest as I felt my heart wound throb. "Yashamaru…" I whimpered. What was the point of a dead mother's love? I couldn't feel it, even though Yashamaru had told me that the sand never allowing me to be hurt was my mother's protection.

I felt my sand rear up behind me, and my eyes widened as I heard the 'thunk' of several things hit the sand. I turn and stare in shock at a shinobi behind me, my eyes filling with hate. _Why me… why always me? _I ask myself as I turn to fully face the man in front of me.

He sends more kunai at me, the sand moving to block them. I thrust my hand out, palm open wide, and the sand rushes out. It wraps around my enemy and throws him up against the silo behind him. Blood splatters out from behind him as he slumps to the ground.

"Who…? Why…?" I ask, as I tremble after the whole thing is over. I look the ninja up and down, and I spot a bandage on one finger. I gulp as I think back to earlier, when Yashamaru had explained the difference between body wounds and wounds of the heart. He had cut his finger… I slowly walk to the ninja on the ground and kneel down beside him. I shakily put my hand out, grasping a white cloth over the ninja's face. I hesitate for only a moment before I rip the cloth off. I stare in shock at the man before me, and I tremble harder than I've ever trembled in my short little life.

"Well done… Gaara." Yashamaru says, blood trickling down from his forehead and down his face.

An incredible pain in my chest had me hunching over in pain and I grab at the area over my heart, clenching tightly. I hyperventilate as I stare in horror at me Uncle. "Yashamaru?" I whimper, staring at him, my eyes pleading for him to tell me that this is all some sick joke. I screamed my pain, tears falling thick and fast down my cheeks. "Why, why? Why you…Yashamaru?" I whimpered, my heart beating painfully in my chest.

"It was an order." Yashamaru says, and I look at him in astonishment. "I was ordered to kill you, by your father… the Kazekage."

"Father?" I asked, stunned at this information. My stomach twisted into painful knots, and I threw up. "Why does father want me dead?" I asked, as the feeling of nausea swept past to leave a dull ache behind.

"Gaara, before you were born, the Shukaku of the Sand was placed inside you." My Uncle says, his tone emotionless as he stared up at the night sky. "You were nurtured carefully because of that experiment. However, you are unable to control the power of the vengeful Spirit of the Sand, the Shukaku. Thus, you pose a threat to the village." Yashamaru glanced at me before looking away again.

"So, you had no choice but to go along with Father's orders, Yashamaru?" I ask, turning to him with a small smile, hope wiggling into my broken heart.

"No, that's not so. It's true that I was ordered by Lord Kazekage, but I could have refused if I wished. Gaara, I'm sure somewhere deep down I resented you."

My eyes widen in shock, the tears still tracing wet paths down my pale cheeks, and I whimpered in pain.

"You, who stole my dear older sister's life when you were born. You were my late sister's legacy, so I desperately tried to love you, but I couldn't. My sister never wanted you. She was sacrificed for the village, and she died cursing it."

I stare at my Uncle confounded, my heart splintering into tiny little pieces. _All those times he said he loved me, and that my mother loved me, it was all a lie!? _I cried in my head, as my heart wound throbbed with a deeper cut. I knew it was never going to heal.

"My heart has borne the wounds of that moment, and it has never healed. My sister gave you that name, and her words were 'This child will be called Gaara, a demon that only loves itself. Love only yourself and fight only for yourself, then you will continue to exist.' That was her wish." Yashamaru was still talking in that monotone, no emotion, no feeling in his words. It was a cold slap across my face, and a cold dagger that pierced through my heart. "But she didn't name you out of love or concern, she gave you that name hoping you would survive. She died resenting and cursing this world, leaving you as a reminder, so the world would remember her hatred."

I stare at the ground, anger overcoming me. The tears had stopped flowing, and a ball of hatred started forming in my gut.

"You were never loved."

The words echo in my head like a mantra, fueling my anger more and more. A feeling of pure loathing bubbled to the surface, and I felt in this instant like I wanted to kill, to take my vengeance out on the man I had called Uncle, and on this village. I snap my head up, and the sand finishes off Yashamaru, before drilling like a nail into my head, and my blood seeped into my eye. Then the darkness inside spilled forth, transforming me…

* * *

I stared at the broken shinobi in front of me. He didn't look broken, and I don't think he felt broken, but I knew he was broken. "That night the Shukaku went on a rampage, killing many, destroying homes and families."

Gaara said this last bit with no remorse, no feeling, and my heart cried out for him. I stood up, leaving the bean bag and walked the few paces to Gaara. He looked at me quizzically, just a fleeting emotion in his eyes before he wiped it away.

_That's a bad idea… _Gobi whispers as he sees what I'm about to do.

_Just keep me safe Wolf. _I say, as I stand almost toe to toe with the red haired shinobi. I stare into his sea green eyes intently, and swoop him into a hug. He stiffens in my arms, and pushes me away, his sand shuffling dangerously in his gourd. He glares at me, and I can see in his eyes that he thinks I'm trying to trick him. I ignore it completely, and gather him in my arms again, which is rebuffed again. This time however he wraps me in his sand, and I rise into the air as the sand squeezes me.

"Don't you see that I'm crying for you? For the little boy who was betrayed?" I ask in a whisper, as real tears leak from my eyes.

Gaara stares at me for a moment, conflicted, before he lets the sand drop me to the floor, none too nicely. He glares at me before stalking out of the room.

I stare at his retreating back, my heart reaching out for the little boy in front of me. Because that little boy was still there, looking for love, even if he didn't realize it himself.

* * *

**AN: This took me forever to write, and hopefully I got it right. I wanted to make the scene between Gaara and Yashamaru as close as possible to the original, so I had to do some research. I also had to research a little bit about Iwa and the Third Great Ninja War. Also, I know that in the manga/anime Gobi is a five tailed dolphin-horse thing, but in actual Japanese mythology, the five tailed demon is a wolf, and they're my favorite animal, so it got switched :) And, I'm sorry about all the POV switches, but it was the only way I could get this right. Leave me a review and tell me what you think!**


	6. Grim Grinning Ghosts

_Now don't close your eyes, and don't try to hide  
For a silly spook may sit by your side  
Shrouded in a black disguise  
They pretend to terrorize  
Grim grinning ghosts  
Come out to socialize_

* * *

**Chapter 6: Grim Grinning Ghosts (Disney Park Music)**

I sigh as night falls over the forest. It had been the last day for competitors to escape the Forest of Death with their two scrolls. Naruto's team had just barely made it in time, much to Kakashi-Sensei's delight, though he didn't let much show past his lazy and laid back expression.

As soon as Naruto was cleaned up, he bounded over to Takai and I. Kakkaku had been M.I.A since the early morning when Kiba's team came in, looking bedraggled.

"When did you guys get here?" Naruto asks, a big cheesy grin on his face.

"The second day in." I say, smiling back at the blonde.

His eyes get as big as saucers and he stares at me and Takai wonderingly. "How'd ya do that?"

"Well, we fought, killed some people, and took their scroll." Takai says, running her fingers through my hair. We had been discussing how to dress for tomorrow for the second part of the exams, since my outfit was ruined and stained with blood. I thought I wanted my hair in a single French braid with my sports bra and a pair of tight low-rise

black shorts. Most everyone who made it into the finals were people I knew, and while I loved getting the occasional outfit from Arakita-Sensei, I liked to dress casually when I could.

"It was so hard for us…" Naruto says, looking put out by our success.

"Hey, I'm sure you'll do great next round!" I say cheerily, glomping the blonde boy in front of me. He blushes and squirms out of my grasp.

"Kira-chan…" He mutters, looking shy.

"What? I love you like a baby brother! I can hug you if I want!" I say adamantly, putting my hands on my hips.

Takai rolls her eyes at me and I laugh happily, pulling her in for a good hug too. I get punched in the head in response. "Aw, Takai, don't be like that!" I whine, rubbing my head.

"Don't touch me you freak."

"You're just as much a freak as I am, baka." I say.

This results in a glare from Takai that clearly screams 'go die!'

"Oh, cool your jets. I'm hungry anyways, so Naruto and I will go over to the kitchen." I say, smiling at Takai and looping my arms around Naruto's left arm, clinging much like a small child would. I drag Naruto out of the room, and we make our way merrily towards the kitchen.

I spot Kakkaku across the hall, standing with a blushing Hinata. "Hey!" I call, whipping around and dragging Naruto towards the pair.

"Hey Kira." Kakkaku says, smiling in greeting.

"N-Naruto-kun. Kira-chan." Hinata greets, poking her pointer fingers together while looking down. A blush was spreading like wild fire across her cheeks.

"What are you guys up to?" I ask, looking from one to the other. Kakkaku flushes slightly and I give him a knowing look.

"We were just talking, right Hinata-chan?" Kakkaku asks, smiling down at her.

"Yes, we were just t-talking." Hinata doesn't look up as she mumbles the words.

"Want to come grab some dinner with us?" Naruto asks, putting a hand behind his head.

"Nah, we ate not too long ago." Kakkaku says, pushing a hand into a pocket.

"Ok then, if you need us, then you know where we'll be." I say, making an about face and dragging Naruto off to the kitchen.

* * *

"So, what are your plans for the battles tomorrow?" I ask Naruto as he sits down beside me. Both of us have a steaming bowl of ramen in front of us, and we have the luxury of the kitchen to ourselves.

"I'm not good about making strategies." Naruto says in between slurps.

"I just hope that whoever I'm matched against isn't too easy. I like a little bit of a challenge." I say, using the chopsticks to hover the noodles high over my mouth before dropping them in.

"As long as I win my match I'll be happy." Naruto says as he picks the bowl up to slurp up the broth.

"Oh!" I say, waving my chopsticks in the air before dropping my voice to a whisper. "You know that Gaara kid?"

"Yeah." Naruto says, whispering back, looking at my curiously.

"He's a jinchuriki too."

"WHAT!?" Naruto leaps up from the table, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Shh!" I shush him, punching him on the top of his head. "Don't broadcast yourself!" I growl out in hushed tones.

"Who does he have?" Naruto whispers, holding the top of his head and looking at me with wide blue eyes.

"Shukaku." I say, looking him straight in the eye.

"Oh… Who's Shukaku?"

"The one-tail, baka." I whisper, sweat dropping.

"That makes four of us competing in these exams…" Naruto says, looking lost in thought. Although, I think he was thinking more about having a second bowl of ramen than Gaara and the ichibi.

"Just watch out for him. He's twisted." I say, making the sign for crazy by my head.

"So are you and Takai…"

I open my mouth to respond, but come up empty. "This is true." I say, smiling. "Anyways, I gotta head back. Takai needs to French braid my hair before I go to bed."

"Why is that?"

"You'll have to wait for the morning to see!" I say happily, thumping Naruto on the back as I leave the room.

* * *

The next morning dawns with gray clouds threatening rain. I notice Kakkaku's bed empty, un-slept in. _Where the hell did he go? _I wonder to myself as I step over to the vanity. Sensei had brought make-up and a new outfit, even though I had complained. I wanted my relaxing clothes… Instead I had a black mid-rise tank top, with lace making up the entire back of the shirt, and a strip of lace in the front running from the valley of my breasts to the bottom of the shirt. I was left with the same black short shorts that barely covered anything, and a new pair of black ninja sandals.

I glared at the new outfit as it lay innocently over the back of the vanity chair before sighing and plopping down. I put on my foundation first covering up what Sensei called 'imperfections'. I thought my skin looked fine as is, but I knew she would be giving me a once over before the fights, and if my makeup wasn't right, she'd do it for me.

Next comes blush, which I know I need. I wasn't pale per-se, but my skin tone was light enough that my cheeks weren't rosy on their own. I sweep the blush along my cheek bones, giving myself a healthy glow, before pulling out my eye makeup. I used a light blue, light brown and white shadow to make my blue eyes start to pop, before applying black eyeliner and mascara. I finish with a clear gloss before throwing on my clothes.

As soon as I'm dressed I sit back down, and undo my French braid, feathering my wavy hair about my shoulders. Satisfied with how I look, I shake Takai awake, who glares at me for interrupting her sleep.

"Quit it with the glaring. You've only got a half an hour to get your ass dressed and be downstairs." I say, before walking out of the room, the sounds of Takai rushing about following me out the door.

Most of the combatants are already gathered, and as I step into the room, all the males look in my direction, then quickly look away. My outfit wasn't nearly as revealing or sexy as the other, but it was still enough to excite the male opposition.

I spot Kakkaku leaning against a metal railing, and head straight for him, catching the eyes of Gaara, who is staring at me as I walk. I give him a small smile, before turning my attention to Kakkaku.

"Where have you been?" I ask, taking a spot next to him, leaning on the railing with my elbows.

"I stayed with Kiba and his team."

"Oh really?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. "What is so special about Kiba's team that you ditched Takai and I?"

"Nothing. I was just visiting and I didn't want to wake you girls by coming in late." Kakkaku says, his face an emotionless mask.

"You're such a liar." I giggle, as I glance at my teammate before surveying the crowd of genin that had gathered.

"It's the truth." Kakkaku says forcefully.

"Half the truth."

"Kira, just leave it alone." Kakkaku says warningly.

"I think a certain Heiress definitely had something to do with it." I giggle mischievously.

"Kira, I'm warning you."

"Oh come off it. I don't care if you like Hinata. Besides, what kind of friend would I be if I didn't tease you?"

"Didn't tease him about what?" Takai asks breathlessly, as she pants beside me.

"It's nothing." Kakkaku says, giving me a clear 'zip-it' look.

"Oh it's nothing, Kakkaku just has a romantic interest in Hin—OW!" I say as Kakkaku jabs me in the arm with a chakra encased hand. "What the hell?"

"I said to leave it alone." Kakkaku growls at me, glaring.

"Wait, you like Hinata?" Takai asks, a devilish grin stealing over her face.

"Would the both of you just shut up about it?" Kakkaku growls out, his glare intensifying.

"I will… for now." Takai says mischievously, before glancing at me. I smile back. There would definitely be a prank to be pulled with this new information. We might even be able to get Naruto and Arakita-Sensei to get in on the plans.

"Alright, I need everyone's attention." A voice says and the room quiets. "We're going to display two names on that board over there. Because so many of you made it through the forest, we're having preliminary matches before the final stage of the Chunin Exams."

"Oh boy. This sucks. I thought this was going to be the last stage." I say, crossing my arms and sighing.

"When your name is displayed you will head down to the arena. The rules are anything goes, but if a teammate or sensei steps in to help you, you will be disqualified. Now the first two names will be randomly chosen."

The board across the arena flashes through names, before settling on two. Sayomi Takai vs. Kimura Kakkaku flashes up in big green letters.

"Well this should be interesting." I say, looking at the two of my teammates.

"I forfeit." Kakkaku says, raising his hand in the air. "I'm not fighting my teammate." Kakkaku crosses his arms, and goes to stand next to Sensei, who looks up at him proudly.

"Sayomi Takai is the winner by default."

Takai looks slightly shocked by this turn in events, but she is soon smiling and she walks over to stand with the rest of my team.

I watch the board as it flashes through names again, before displaying Uchiha Sasuke vs. Akado Yoroi. They both leap into the arena, and soon their battle begins.

I personally thought Sasuke was a prick, so I purposely turned my back on the match and watched the other genin who were watching the match. Sakura was trembling as she watched, and she was clearly upset about something. Naruto's expression was similar to Sakura's, but Kakashi-Sensei's face was impassive like always.

I glance at the sand siblings, Kankuro and Temari watching with passive interest, but Gaara was very intent on the match. A sound shinobi standing a little ways off from them was also watching with a keen interest.

My examination of the opposition is interrupted by Naruto, who starts shouting encouragement to Sasuke. I look down in the arena, and Sasuke is panting heavily, at a standoff with his enemy. The tide of battle quickly turns though, and soon Sasuke is declared the victor.

The battles move quickly as Shino's battle starts. He wins easily with his bugs, and is declared the winner. Next up is Kankuro's match, and I finally get to see the mummy thing. It's actually a puppet, and it looks kinda creepy… I shiver when I see it, hoping that I don't have to fight that thing. The match doesn't last long, with Kankuro coming out on top.

Ino and Sakura are called out next, and they get into a huge typical cat fight, and they end up knocking each other out. I roll my eyes at their immaturity. Both girls are carried out of the arena or stretchers by medics.

Temari and Tenten battle next, and both girls battle with their whole hearts, but Temari comes out the victor. Her gusts of wind created by her fan are too much for Tenten's weapons.

Shikamaru's battle was next, and I knew immediately he was going to win. That kid was a fucking genius. I was proud as he used his shadow possession technique to win the battle, and gave him a hearty pat on the back as he passed me on his way back up from the fight.

Next Naruto fought with Kiba, and it really was a pretty evenly matched battle. "Go Naruto!" I cheered punching the air, trying to encourage him. He was getting his ass handed to him. Naruto had a stroke of brilliance and transformed into Kiba after Kiba himself had transformed Akamaru into his twin. Kiba thought he had sniffed out Naruto, so he punched one of his clones only to have his clone transform back into Akamaru.

Kiba punched the other clone, assuming that he had to be Naruto, only for that clone to transform into Akamaru as well. As Kiba looked on in shock, Naruto released his henge and gave Kiba a good kick to the jaw.

He recovered quickly and forced himself to calm down, pulling our shuriken in both hands. He flung them at Naruto and was relentless in his attacks. It seemed like the end of Naruto when he let out a fart, making Kiba back off as he tried to get fresh air into his over sensitive nose. I sweat dropped from my position above the arena, putting a hand over my face.

"Naruto!" I shouted. "At least say excuse me! There's girls here!" I waved my fist at him angrily. This effectively got everyone's attention and I put a hand behind my head self consciously, giggling nervously.

"Oh Kira…" Arakita-Sensei sighed, shaking her head.

The battle was won soon after, with Naruto the victor after a nice K.O. fashioned after Sasuke's Lions Barage.

I watched the board flash through names and was overjoyed when the board displayed Chikako Kira vs. Manabu Makoto. I jumped over the railing, landing gracefully on the balls of my feet, before meeting the proctor in the center of the arena.

My opponent was decent looking, but he was dressed from head to toe, so I couldn't get an idea of his physical prowess. He had standard black ninja sandals, long black trousers, and a baggy black sleeveless shirt. His arms were wrapped from his shoulders to his elbows with bandages, leaving his forearms bare.

"Match Kira versus Makoto, start!" The proctor said, and I leapt back several feet, appraising my opponent.

"I'll win this with only one type of jutsu!" I shout at my opponent, who whips out kunai and tosses them at me. I dodge expertly, biting my thumb in the process.

"Don't think I'm so easy to beat, little girl." Makoto says, and I glare at him angrily.

"I am not a little girl! Kuchiyose no jutsu!" I slam my hand onto a nearby wall, and a gray and white wolf bounds out, as big as a one story house. I eagerly bound up his body, and sit on his head. "Hiya Akito, fancy helping me out here?"

"Of course Kira-chan." Akito says in his deep grumbling voice.

"That's my opponent." I say pointing down at Makoto, who is staring up at me with shock on his face.

Akito lets out a grumbling roar, raising a paw to smash down on my opponent. Makoto dodges, only to be snapped at by teeth as long as my forearm. This continues for some time before I get bored.

"Ready for a henge?" I ask Akito in a whisper. A slight nod from the wolf is all I need to continue. I transform Akito, and a few screeches rent the air as the smoke clears. I smile evilly from my spot on Akito's head.

Akito is now filling up seventy five percent of the arena on his own, and he has turned into a pure white wolf with five tails. The tails crack down on the floor of the pavement, before they stretch and strain, finally catching Makoto in one of his tails. Akito brings the tail around to his face, roaring so loudly that the whole building shakes and dust rains down from the ceiling. His mouth opens wide, and he swallows Makoto whole, licking his chops as the ninja slides down his throat.

* * *

I've eagerly awaited this battle, to see how strong Kira really is. She had leapt eagerly into the arena, but since the proctor had announced the starts of the battle, neither one of them had moved. It seemed like they were just having a staring contest. It made my blood boil. I wanted to see some action. My body started quivering as the minutes ticked by and nothing happened.

But then movement caught my eye. Kira walked straight over to her enemy, calm as can be, and pushed him with a single finger in the middle of his chest. He fell over backwards, and the proctor hurried over. After checking Kira's opponent, he stared at her in disbelief.

"Chikako Kira is the winner of this match." The proctor says, and Kira bows as Naruto, Takai, Kakkaku, and her Sensei cheer.

"That was a pretty strong genjutsu…" Kankuro says, eyeing Kira as she sashays over to her team.

"Yeah, I don't know anybody our age who has mastered genjutsu." Temari says, sounding in awe of Kira.

"She fought logically." I observe, and both my brother and sister look at me. "None of us knows what she has for jutsu other than this genjutsu, so the final round will be a complete mystery to whoever she faces."

Temari and Kankuro both go back to watching Kira, as she celebrates happily with her team. Fighting her would be fun, I think.

* * *

The last few fights I didn't much pay attention to, except Gaara and Lee's fight. I watched intently, trying to pick up on how Gaara battled. His sand was an ultimate defense and it blocked him from all incoming blows. For a few minutes I thought Lee was going to beat Gaara, but Gaara surprised most of us with a sand shell that encased his body. In the end, he was so intent on his match that he almost killed Lee. Gai-Sensei had to step in to prevent Lee from being crushed.

I sighed as I watched the proceedings, wondering if his Uncle's betrayal wasn't the only thing that had made Gaara so volatile. I decided that some research was in order.

* * *

**AN: So what do you think? It took me forever to choose a song for the chapter… I finally settled on this song for the lyrics 'shrouded in a black disguise, they pretend to terrorize' because Kira dresses all in black, and she was projecting a genjutsu on her opponent, hence the 'pretend to terrorize'. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think.**


	7. As The World Falls Down

_I'll paint you mornings of gold  
I'll spin you Valentine evenings  
Though we're strangers 'til now  
We're choosing the path between the stars  
I'll leave my love between the stars_

* * *

**Chapter 7: As The World Falls Down (David Bowie)**

Arakita-Sensei had told me that I was to train and work on a new jutsu during the one month break we were given from the exams. I thought back to the end of the preliminaries and what the Hokage had said.

_"Ok, everyone who was determined a winner in these preliminaries gets to move on to the third and final stage of the exams. We have prepared slips of paper, and you will each draw out a piece of paper from the box."_

_I waited with bated breath as the Hokage handed a box off to Anko, and eyed us all. We were so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. I tightened my grip on Takai and Kakkaku, who were on either side of me. Kakkaku squeezed my arm reassuringly, and Takai gave me a soft smile, which was a rarity for her. I pulled out my slip of paper and pulled out a number two. Takai reaches in next and pulls out a slip of paper for herself._

_ "Now that everyone has drawn a number, read them out loud from left to right." Ibiki commands, a clipboard and pen in his hands._

_"I'm eight." A ninja from the sound says, and I give him the stink eye._

_"I'm one." Naruto says, being quite calm for once._

_"Seven." That was Temari._

_"Five." Kankuro says._

_"Three." Gaara says in a creepy voice, his face as expressionless as ever._

_"Nine." Shikamaru says lazily._

_"Two."Neji says._

_"I've got six." I say, still clutching onto my teammates._

_"Ten." Takai says, scowling as I clutch her arm tighter._

_"Eleven." Shino says._

_"So that means he has four…" Ibiki says, trailing off as he makes notes on his clipboard. "Everyone, take a good look, because these are your matches."_

_I stare hard at the clipboard and read off the pairings to myself. Naruto and Neji. Gaara and Sasuke. Me and Kankuro. Temari and Dosu, that sound ninja. Shikamaru and Takai. The winner of Shikamaru and Takai's fight would then be up against Shino._

_"You will have one month to prepare, because some of you may have pulled out all the stops to defeat your enemy. This is so everyone has a fair chance. You are now dismissed."_

I looked down at the book in front of me and smiled to myself. This wasn't preparation for a new jutsu. I was looking into the bijuu and their abilities. So far however, I hadn't come across any useful information and it had been a week. I sighed as I shut the book closed with a loud 'thump' and brought it to the return bin.

"No luck?" Kakkaku asks, as he brings a book to the return bin as well.

"No, not a thing. How about you?" I ask as we turn and walk out of the library.

"Well, I learned that each jinchuriki take on a trait from the bijuu."

"Oh? What kind of traits?" I ask, scuffing my feet in the dust.

"It depends on the jinchuriki, but those born while a parent was host to a bijuu or those born after the bijuu was sealed in them have physical traits. Since you, Takai, Naruto and Gaara all have traits like this it's safe to assume all four of you were either born to a jinchuriki, or you became a jinchuriki in the womb." Kakkaku says as he follows me down the dusty road.

"We already had that kind of figured out." I say, but still pleased I had learned at least a little.

"I also gleaned some other facts. The jinchuriki usually specialize in jutsu that the bijuu specialize in. However, this isn't always the case. Gaara's sand seems to be a Kekkei Genkai, but Shukaku is also a sand spirit, so the sand might be more powerful because of the bijuu. You are great with genjutsu and you have all five chakra natures, which means that you can probably copy just about any Kekkei Genkai with practice since Gobi is a formidable genjutsu user and has a tail with each kind of elemental chakra. As for Takai, she has wind chakra, but she is also adept at bringing death because Nibi is Death's pet cat."

"And Naruto?" I ask, as we round the corner. We were almost to my house now.

"Naruto is a bit of a mystery. He has a hard time getting jutsu down, but when he does those jutsu are pretty damn strong. Take his kage bunshin for example. He can create thousands of clones if he so chooses."

"That's true." I say as we walk up to my apartment door. "Oh, and I'm sorry, but my place is a mess…" I say as I unlock the door.

My apartment was a studio layout, so my living room and bedroom occupied the same space. Right now it was set up as a living room, my bed made and neatly folded into the wall. I had a small kitchen that really was barely big enough for me to move around in, and I only had one counter, but I was hardly home anyways, so it didn't matter much to me. My bathroom was twice the size of my kitchen, and it had more counter space, go figure.

Dirty clothes were scattered about my bathroom, a whole pile in front of my washer. The kitchen had several dirty dishes strewn across the counter and sink, and my living room was littered with fast food wrappers and bags of half eaten chips.

"You weren't kidding about the mess… You've been off for a week, and you haven't managed to clean?" Kakkaku asks, as he holds up a half eaten bag of chips to inspect.

"Are you kidding me? I've spent every waking hour at the library working on my research." I say, busying myself with picking up the trash.

"Oh that's a great excuse." Kakkaku says, as he begins helping me pick up the trash.

I run to the kitchen and get out a black trash bag and come back, and Kakkaku and I fill the bag halfway with trash. I survey the room, and satisfied we got all the trash in the living room, I make my way to the bathroom. I overturn the rubbish bin into the black trash bag, before setting it back down on the floor next to the toilet. I open my front door and toss the trash bag outside, then head for the kitchen.

I roll up my sleeves and fill the sink with hot water, before pulling out my dish detergent. "I wash, you dry?" I ask Kakkaku who nods and pulls out a drying cloth from a drawer by the sink. We each work in silence, just enjoying each other's company, and soon my dishes are done and put away.

"I haven't got much for dinner…" I say, looking in my fridge before opening the freezer door and checking out the entire contents of my food inventory. "Let's see… I've got some hamburger meat, but it looks pretty brown…" I say pulling out the package of ground beef.

Kakkaku takes it out of my hands and sniffs before holding it away from his face, a look of disgust crossing his face. "It's definitely bad." He says, making for my front door and throwing it into the black trash bag.

"Ok… Then I've got chicken flavored packaged ramen, mac and cheese, canned tomato soup, and boil in a bag white rice…" I say, looking through my cupboards.

"Really? That's it?" Kakkaku asks, raising an eyebrow at me. "What do you spend your money on?"

"Ummm… Well… Don't laugh at me, ok?" I say, crossing my arms defensively and glaring.

"I'll try my best." Kakkaku promises as he looks at me expectantly.

"I collect socks. I love socks, and I spend all my money on new socks. Neon colors, prints, stripes, polka-dots, Jack Skellington ones are my favorite though."

"Are you serious? You don't even wear socks!" Kakkaku says, looking at me wide eyed.

"Don't judge. And I do so wear socks… I just only wear them around the house… I never match them either!" I say, quite proud of this fact.

"Oh brother."

"Zip-it. Every girl has to have her vice, and mine just happens to be socks." I say defiantly, daring him to say anything negative about it.

"Let's just go get dinner. My treat." Kakkaku says, smiling and shaking his head.

"Really? Oh Kakkaku you're the best!" I say, hugging my teammate happily.

* * *

A little over an hour later the sun is casting a warm orange glow across the village as it sets. Kakkaku and I are just leaving Ichiraku, both full and sated. "You know we could have just had the instant ramen at my house." I say as we travel down the road.

"And eat some of the precious little food you have? I don't think so. Besides, I don't have anything to spend my money on, so I don't mind treating once in a while."

"I'm glad you did treat me, Ichiraku is much better than instant ramen." I say happily, bouncing along.

"That's because it's made fresh." Kakkaku says, as we stop at a street corner.

"Thanks again for helping me out today, with the research and cleaning and dinner." I say, hugging my teammate happily.

"Don't mention it. But seriously, you have to make up for the week of training you missed. If sensei comes back from training Takai and finds out you didn't do any training, she is going to be right pissed." Kakkaku says as he starts walking towards his home.

"You and I can start training tomorrow!" I shout at his retreating back. Kakkaku raises his hand in acknowledgement and I walk away, satisfied.

My feet trace the familiar route home and I think about what I want to learn for a jutsu. Most of the ones I do know are C or D rank. I had researched a little bit about A rank jutsu and was thinking of learning one or more of them. If I had Sasuke's sharingan this would be a cake walk, but I didn't, so I was going to have to give it two hundred percent.

_I can help you by giving you some of my chakra. _Gobi says to me.

_You already give me chakra; remember Minato-Sama fixed my seal after I came here?_

_Oh don't remind me. I was on a nice rampage when he resealed me._

_Hey, you're the one who took advantage of a four year old girl._

_You're the one who would have died if you hadn't breached that seal. _Gobi says mockingly, flashing images in my head of that day sixteen years ago.

_Cut it out! _I shout, mentally glaring at the huge white wolf as he chuckles in his cage. _It's not funny! I never want to be that helpless again!_

_A day will come when I will be allowed to take over like that again._

_NO! _I snarl angrily. _It won't happen. I'll be the strongest shinobi in the world, feared by even the mightiest bijuu in the world!_

_Ha, good luck with that. _Gobi smiles sinisterly at me, and I'm so intent with telling him off, that I walk straight into a warm body.

"Gomen!" I say hurriedly, before realizing who it was I had walked into. "Oh, it's only you." I say, eyeing the shinobi in front of me.

"Not a wise response." Someone else says, and I glare at him over the top of the red head in front of me.

"Shut it face-paint." I growl. "Gaara and I are friends, right Gaara?" I question, beaming a smile his way and lightly punching his left shoulder.

Temari lets out an audible gasp, and Gaara looks at the spot on his shoulder where my fist had made contact.

"What?" I question at the different looks each sibling gives me. Gaara is staring at his shoulder in disbelief before he raises his sea foam eyes to my ice blue ones, an almost glare in their depths. Temari has her hands over her face, her eyes wide. Kankuro's mouth hangs open, and his eyes are screaming 'run' at me. I look from one to the other, my face quizzical. "What? You're all acting as if it's a crime to touch Gaara." I say, folding my arms across my midriff.

I raise an eyebrow at them as a small amount of sand begins to circle around me, Gaara's look of surprise turning into a glare.

"Oh cut it out. I'll just use a water jutsu and make your sand wet so it's a pain in the ass to use." I say, before raising my hands in front of me to start on seals if I need to.

* * *

I stare at the girl in front of us, astonished. I couldn't believe she had just punched Gaara, even if it was in a playful manner. He was such a volatile person that I was expecting blood to spill. Surprisingly, however, Gaara had remained mostly calm, and only a small amount of sand was circling her body. I did have to hand it to Kira, though. She was a very tenacious person.

And the more I thought about it, hadn't she just called Gaara her friend? That was new, no one called Gaara their friend. More like he was the Grim Reaper. I stare at my little brother, curiosity overwhelming me. He was surprised at being called 'friend' I think. I glance at Kankuro next to me, and he has a similar expression on his face.

I turn back to Kira, and watch as the sand recedes from around her, and she lets her hands drop to her sides, still smiling at Gaara.

"You should work on forgiving people when someone tells you that they're sorry." She says, raising an eyebrow at my brother. I can't see his face, but I can only imagine what his expression looks like.

"I don't forgive." Gaara states, his voice emotionless as usual.

"Well you really should. It'll make you feel better as a person." Kira says, still smiling. "And you know what else? Your sand just gave me an idea for a new jutsu!" She says excitedly, her face lighting up more if that's even possible.

"Oh?" I ask, as I feel the tension dissipate. I breathe a silent sigh of relief.

"Yup! But I can't tell you what it is since it's for the exams. Oh I can't wait!" She says happily, not quite bouncing on her feet. "And I have you to thank Gaara, so, arigato!" And Kira does the unthinkable, well in my book anyways. She gives him a peck on the cheek. Now she's really going to get it.

Kankuro's expression has turned to one of shock, and I think my face must say the same thing. I can feel tension building again, but not like last time. I look at my brother curiously when Kira speaks again.

"Why so surprised? Doesn't _anyone _show you kindness?" She asks, raising an eyebrow and giving me and Kankuro pointed looks.

"No." Comes Gaara one wondered reply.

"Well, then I will show you kindness!" Kira states, smiling so hard I think her face is going to split in two. "I've gotta go research my new jutsu now. Thanks again Gaara!" And with that, the girl is gone in a puff of smoke.

"What just happened?" Kankuro whispers to me, and I give him a 'shut-it' look. A few seconds later, Gaara starts walking again, and I sigh in relief. I was glad he didn't kill that girl, but I also wondered _why _he didn't kill her.

* * *

Kakkaku and I have been trying to get this jutsu down for hours, but so far the only thing I had made happen was some water come up from the ground.

"Ugh, this is so hard!" I say, throwing myself to the ground in exhaustion.

"Well, you're not going to get it down in one day. Quite frankly I'm surprised you were able to draw up enough groundwater to make a small puddle." Kakkaku says, taking a seat next to me.

"I just want to get this done as fast as possible so I can go back to researching the bijuu." I say tiredly.

"Well nothing's going to happen if you rush it." Kakkaku says as he stretches and then lies back on the ground.

"I hate it when jutsu take forever to learn…" I complain as I lay back too, letting the warm sun splash over my face.

"Well, you are a genius ninja, you'll get it soon enough." Kakkaku says, smiling over at me.

"Oh right. I had to wait three years after graduating the academy to get a team." I say sarcastically. "So I must be such a genius."

"Stop beating yourself up about it, you could ask Gobi for help."

"We're fighting right now." I say, glaring at the sky.

"Oh?"

"Don't worry about it." I say, my tone clearly saying 'I don't want to talk about it'.

"Well, all you can do is it give it your best. You are trying to learn an A rank jutsu."

"Yeah, I know. Let's get back to work." I say, forcing myself to stand.

* * *

Another week passes, and I've got a good hold on my new jutsu. I could gather a pretty fair amount of water from underground, and the more humid a day was, the more water I could pull out of the air. Now I was learning how to control that water, and that was turning out to be easier than I expected.

Gobi and I had made up, sort of, and he was able to bind his will to mine to help speed the process along. Today I was working on fine tuning my jutsu so that I could keep the jutsu up as long as I wanted by feeding the jutsu a small and steady amount of Gobi's chakra.

"So today, I want you to go about your day and use the water whenever you need to so you can strengthen your hold on your jutsu." Kakkaku says as he walks me out of the secluded training grounds.

"Got it!" I say, as I leap away and through the streets. I tried to let my guard down so Kakkaku could test me when he wanted. Part of this exercise was going to be Kakkaku ambushing me whenever he felt like it to keep me on my toes.

I wander the streets for well over an hour, when the water races from the air and blocks a kunai. I look in the direction the kunai was thrown and will the water to catch Kakkaku, who is smiling at the way the water reacted to me being attacked. The water doesn't move fast enough however, and Kakkaku jumps away. I let the water splash against the roof of the house he had been standing on, and continue on my way.

Kakkaku attacks me several more times throughout the day and when the sun sets he approaches me with a huge grin. "You're doing quite well. The only thing we have to work on is your speed, and you'll be ready." He says, giving me a pat on the back.

"Excellent." I say happily, releasing the jutsu and sighing in relief. It took a lot of energy to keep up. Hopefully, one day, I wouldn't need to expend so much energy on the jutsu.

"I'll see you in the morning, same time, same place?" Kakkaku asks as we stop at the crossroads to his house.

"You bet." I say happily, before leaping off across the roof tops.

Night had fallen now, and the moon was a beautiful white pearl in the sky. I stopped on a rooftop and looked up at it, before my eyes traced the heavens to look at the stars. I sighed happily to myself before I began moving again, leaping from roof to roof, when I spot a figure sitting on a rooftop a little ways off.

I make my way over, and sit next to a familiar red headed shinobi, who is staring up at the stars. "Hey." I say, when Gaara doesn't greet me first.

He glances over at me, but doesn't respond.

I sigh to myself, but I don't leave, instead I lay back with my hands behind my head, and close my eyes. I could at least gift him with my company, if he didn't want to talk.

"Why are you unafraid of me?" He finally asks after a while.

"You've never given me a reason to be afraid of you." I say, shrugging, my eyes still closed.

"Everyone finds a reason to be afraid of me."

"Well, I haven't found a reason yet. Besides, I'd probably be in the same boat as you if the whole village knew what I am." I say seriously, opening an eye to look at him. He's not looking at me, he's staring up into the night sky. We lapse into silence again, and not long after, my mind drifts to sleep.

* * *

I stare at the curios girl next to me. I was still immensely curious about her, she was unafraid of me, and that itself was almost a miracle. But there was something else, something I couldn't name. I didn't know what to do with this emotion. It felt good, but it terrified me at the same time.

I listened as her breathing slowed and deepened, and I knew that she fell asleep. I wondered what it would be like to slip into a fitful sleep without worrying about your demon trying to take over.

An hour or so ticked by, and Kira moved in her sleep, rolling onto her side, facing me, and curling herself lightly around me. It was weird, and uncomfortable, so I scooted several feet away. Not long after, Kira began reaching for something, and I stared at her curiously. A finger brushed against my sandaled foot, and she seemed to settle.

Another few hours go by, and I trace the moon's path across the sky. The moon was high above me, its pale light lighting everything. Kira grew restless again, and I stared at her in surprise as the hand that had lightly been brushing my foot reaches out. She grabs my ankle and pulls my leg out straight, and clings to it.

This irritates me and my sand swirls around her dangerously before I force it back. She wasn't hurting me in any way, but being this close to someone was almost painful. I waited until she settled completely, before slowly extracting my leg from her and moving several feet away. This seems to work for a few minutes, but she soon wakes.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep on you…" She yawns, getting to her feet and rubbing her eyes blearily, before noticing how far away I was. "Did I attack you or something in my sleep?" She asks worriedly.

"No." I say, watching her carefully.

"Oh." She says, looking from her feet to me and back again curiously. "Then why are you so far away?"

"You kept touching me."

"Sorry." She flushes, red staining her cheeks, as she smiles at me sheepishly. "I have a blue teddy that I cuddle when I sleep, so I must've been looking for something to cuddle… Um, I'm going to go to bed now, before I do more embarrassing things in my sleep." She walks over to me and kneels in front of me and I lean back at the close proximity. She gives me a tired smile, brings her hand to her mouth, kisses her fingers, then holds her hand out flat, palm up. I look at her questioningly as she blows across her palm and her cool breath brushes across my face. And then she's gone, a puff of smoke the only thing remaining of her presence.

* * *

**AN: Too fast, too slow? More fluff? I have no idea what you guys want, so let me know. I love reviews!**


	8. Man in the Box

_"I'm the man in the box  
Buried in my shit  
Won't you come and save me  
Save me"_

**Chapter 8: Man in the Box (Alice in Chains)**

I yawn and rub my eyes as I watch the sun begin peeking over the horizon. I hadn't slept all that great after returning home to my apartment, and I think part of the problem was that I had fallen asleep on the rooftops and then woke up some time later to go home. I wanted nothing more than to go back home and curl up and sleep for the day, but I knew Kakkaku would never let me do it.

I flop down on the ground with my back against a tree as I wait for Kakkaku to show up. My mind drifts back to last night, thinking about Gaara's face as I blew him a kiss before leaving. To be truthful, I don't know why I did it, but I also couldn't ignore the feeling of excitement that gathered in my belly whenever I saw the red haired shinobi. Or thought of him for that matter. Even now my stomach was twisting itself into happy knots as I thought about last night.

He had leaned away from me, his face a beacon of shock and surprise, and his face also held a question. I wondered what he was questioning… Was it me, my actions? I didn't know, and the more I asked myself these things, the more the knots twisted themselves in my belly. I sighed and shook my head, trying to clear it. Maybe I would find out, maybe I wouldn't, but I needed to clear my head if I wanted to get my Suitenhofutsu down.

"Kira." Kakkaku says as his shadow falls across me. I look up and offer a small smile that's overcome by a yawn. "I brought someone with me today, hope that's ok." Kakkaku says as Hinata steps out from behind him.

"Hi Hinata-chan." I say, waving half heartedly.

"Hello Kira-chan." Hinata says, looking at me shyly.

"Can I go home and sleep?" I ask, hoping that maybe Kakkaku will let me go sleep.

"I don't think so." Kakkaku says, chuckling.

"Ugh… I just want to sleep…" I moan.

"Well, we're practicing more on your jutsu, so get up." Kakkaku says, grabbing my arm and forcing me to stand.

"I hate you." I say as I make the hand signs to activate my jutsu. "Tiger, dog, monkey, snake, boar, tiger…" I mutter to myself, and then I can _feel_ where the water is. I begin by pulling up the groundwater, and when I have a substantial amount I start pulling the moisture out of the air. Spheres of water hover around me, and Kakkaku starts attacking.

The water blocks each attack effectively, and soon Kakkaku is panting from his exertion, while I've barely broken a sweat. He pulls out his two katana, and whirls them around, before coming at me again. I form the separate balls of water into one body, and I control and direct it much like Gaara directs his sand. I make the water form shuriken and I launch them at Kakkaku, who deflects them with his katana. No matter how hard he tries, the water absorbs all his attacks, but he is just as effective at deflecting mine.

After several hours of this non stop fighting, Kakkaku stops to rest. "Well, I think you're pretty good at working the water to defend against weak weapon and taijutsu attacks. But I brought Hinata for a reason. You're going to fight her until you can overcome her easily. Her fighting is different because she uses Gentle Fist style and uses chakra to close off chakra pathways. These next few days are going to be brutal." Kakkaku says with an evil glint in his eye.

Hinata moves into her fighting stance, her byakugan activated. I sigh as I gather the water around me, swirling about my body protectively. Hinata comes at me with her Gentle Fist, and I use the water to halt her progress, but only just. After the water stops her attack, the chakra she forces into my water disrupts the flow, and that section of water drops to the ground. Then I have to manually circulate my chakra into the water again.

I am soon panting and out of breath, more than half my water sitting on the ground uselessly. I jump backwards, finding safety in a tree as I continue panting on my hands and knees.

_Gobi, I need more of your chakra for the water shield. _I say in my head.

_I thought you were doing ok. _The wolf chuckles mockingly.

_You're not funny. Please help?_

_Only because you said please._

I feel Gobi's chakra start flooding into my system, and I'm able to pick the water up and attack Hinata from behind, making use of her blind spot. I let the water splash on her neck and smile in triumph. "I win!" I say happily, sitting on my tree branch and catching my breath, swirling the water in patterns before me.

"That was a fluke and you know it." Kakkaku chuckles as he looks up at me.

"Why, because I used her blind spot in a stroke of brilliance?" I ask.

"That, and I know you asked Gobi for more chakra. You have to do this on your own."

"It's a lot harder when she keeps disrupting the chakra in my water." I say, pouting and crossing my arms. "Besides, I don't need to protect myself from the Byakugan users; we belong to the same village."

"That may be true, but do I need to remind you of Neji's father?" Kakkaku asks, crossing his arms and scowling at me.

I sigh and scowl back. "Not every errant ninja is going to have the byakugan."

"Not all ninjas need to have the byakugan to disrupt chakra, right Hinata-chan?"

"H-Hai!" Hinata says, stuttering slightly.

I roll my eyes at the two and leap down from the tree. "Shall we continue then?" I ask, and Hinata reactivates her byakugan, readying her fighting stance.

* * *

Another week passes, leaving only about one week until the final stages of the exams. I hadn't come across Gaara on the roof tops since that first time, and my yearning to see him again grew with each day. But Kakkaku was working me hard, and I spent from dawn till dusk working my ass off to get my jutsu down. We had discovered that if Gobi lent me a tail's worth of chakra, I could keep the jutsu running all day without much thought, and the water could be bound to my will, with some help from Gobi. This made it impossible for surprise attacks to touch me since the water would leap to my defense. Also, to conserve chakra, I had a special water skin tailor made to be as long as my arm, and three times the circumference of my bicep so I would always have viable water with me without having to expend extra chakra to pull it out of the ground or air.

It was a beautiful black dyed deer hide, as soft as suede to the touch. I carried it across my back, similar to how Gaara carried his gourd, but a handsome black dyed deer hide strap kept it in place. The strap hooked to a metal loop on the water skin at the top of my left shoulder, then travelled down across my torso and looped around my waist before the strap hooked onto a loop at the base of the water skin. Because of the way my water skin looked, I decided to change my outfit to match my new water skin. Now I wore a light beige sports bra, perfectly matched to my skin tone with a light ninja chain link shirt that clinked menacingly as I walked, and hugged my form perfectly. The little black circles of metal that made up my shirt were so small that you couldn't tell I was only wearing a bra underneath unless you were toe to toe with me. The shirt itself had three quarter sleeves, protecting my biceps down to my elbows. Black fingerless gloves adorned both of my hands. I also wore the chain link trousers that matched my shirt, and this came all the way down to my knees. Over the chain link trousers I wore a pair of tight black shorts that also stopped at mid thigh. On my feet I had elegant black ninja sandals, with laced ribbons that crisscrossed all the way up to the base of my knees and tied in long black bows that dangled half way down my calves.

Yesterday I had shown up to practice and Kakkaku's jaw had hit the floor as his eyes raked up and down my body. "Take a picture, it'll last longer." I had said flippantly, then popped the top off my water skin, the water flowing out restlessly. We only trained for a half day, since two days ago I had mastered keeping Hinata at bay without loosing any water to her chakra disrupting attacks. Instead we had spent the last two days creating my own jutsu where I would lace my lightning based chakra into the water, making lightning infused whips that not only drew blood, but also electrocuted my opponent.

I sighed in contentment as I walked down the street, happy that Kakkaku had given me the week off. I spent most of my time practicing my water jutsu at home in the small stamp of a yard that I had. The ground had been completely churned up, and had turned quite muddy from the amount of water I had used. Most of my water skin had been depleted. I had urged the water out of the ground, and directed it back into my water skin, before using earth style to flatten out my yard, which had looked like it was made up of small hills.

I stop at Ichiraku and find Naruto on his fifth bowl of ramen, Iruka-Sensei on the other side of him. "Hi Naruto-kun, Iruka-Sensei." I greet, before sitting on Naruto's other side.

"Kira-Chan!" Naruto exclaims happily, his baby blues meeting my ice blues with much happiness in their depths. "Changed your clothes again I see!" Naruto's eyes travel up and down my body before they settle on inspecting my chain link shirt. "Are you… are you not wearing any clothes under that!?" Naruto shouts loudly, making me wince. I look at the blonde who has fallen on his ass as he scrambles to mop up a nose bleed.

I laugh at him, and grin. "No silly, I have a bra on, I just had it made special to match my skin tone." I say before placing an order for chicken ramen.

"I really thought you had nothing on underneath that…" Naruto mumbles, getting back into his seat.

I glance at Iruka-Sensei, who is turned away from us and busy doing something, which I expect is mopping up a nose bleed of his own. He was only four years older than me after all, so it wasn't illegal to look at me that way, since I would be twenty soon. Naruto was the youngest at sixteen, and I think that Temari was the same age as me, with Kankuro being eighteen and Gaara seventeen. Kakkaku and Takai were both eighteen as well, which is part of the reason why we made such a great team. A team of older genin knows their stuff, and hopefully, after next week I would be chunin.

It was a little odd that I was almost twenty years old and still a genin, but I had waited two or three years for a team after graduating because the Hokage was unable to find a good match with me because I was a powerhouse. Takai had ended up at the village under similar circumstances as me, but she was younger, so she started the academy after me. Kakkaku had grown up in Konoha, and he and Takai had shared the same classes at the academy, however there was an uneven amount of kids, and Takai and Kakkaku were both power houses in their own rights, so we became a team. And we graduated from C and D rank missions pretty quickly.

My bowl of ramen is placed in front of me and I grab a pair of chopsticks and break them apart. "Itadakimasu!" I say hungrily, picking up some noodles and dangling them over my mouth before dropping them in.

"I forgot to ask last time, but why do you eat ramen like that?" Naruto asks, staring at me like I'm a weirdo.

"I dunno. I've been doing it for as long as I can remember." I say, plopping another dangling bite into my mouth. Naruto shakes his head, and resumes eating his ramen, getting into a deep conversation with Iruka-Sensei. I ignore the pair as I continue eating, before placing my money on the bar and walking out.

"Bye Kira-Chan!" I hear behind me, and I say farewell to Naruto. The sun had set and twilight was settling around the village. The streets were beautiful as lights shown out of windows, and I was reminded of how dark my windows were going to be when I got home.

I sighed and looked up to the sky, and was taken aback at how black the sky was. Not a star twinkled above me, and I scowled at the sky. As I continued walking, the air became unbearably humid and sticky, and a growing panic grew over me. I could feel the electricity in the air, and I could smell the rain coming.

"Fuck!" I snarl to myself, running as fast as I can, headed towards Kakkaku's house, since it was closer than my own. That was when the first ear-splitting, earth-shattering crack of thunder rent the air. I whimpered as my heart galloped in my chest in fear, and in my haste I ran straight into a red haired shinobi for the second time that month.

* * *

I looked at the girl in front of me, her eyes wild, pupils fully dilated in fear, making me forget to glare at her for a moment.

"Please!" She whined desperately, grasping onto my shirt tightly, her face inches from my own. "Please get me to Kakkaku's!"

A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, followed by another tremendous boom of thunder. Kira squeaked in terror and buried her face in my chest, a sob escaping her. I couldn't decide whether to help her, or to kill her for running into me again. "A shinobi afraid of a thunderstorm?" I question as a cascade of rain falls from the heavens.

"Please, I need Kakkaku, he can keep me safe." She cried, and I felt the wetness of her tears staining my shirt, or it could have been the rain.

Another peal of thunder had her literally jumping on me in terror, her small body wrapping itself around me as her arms clung to my neck and her legs wrapped around my torso. I had no idea how to react, and my indecision was only serving to prolong her exposure to the thunderstorm and to make us both soaked to the skin.

Another flash of lightning flicked across the blackened sky, and I felt Kira bury her face into the crook of my neck. I stood in the middle of the street, eyes wide in my surprise. The way this girl just didn't care about what I was, even after I explained everything to her, had me intrigued. _No one _reacted this way; no one said that they were going to be nice to me. No one ran into my arms to make themselves feel safer. At least, no one did until this short, blonde haired girl from Konoha.

"Please Gaara, please bring me to Kakkaku's house." Kira whimpers in my ear, her hold on my neck tightening. Thunder crashed above us, and Kira whimpered pathetically. I didn't understand why she trusted me, trusted that I would bring her to her teammate's house rather than kill her.

"Why do you trust me?" I ask, as I start moving in the direction Kira points out.

"We already went over this. You haven't given me a reason not to trust you." She says. A low, less menacing sounding rumble of thunder has her sticking her face in the crook of my neck again.

"But I need to kill to prove my existence. This doesn't bother you?"

"Well, yeah, but you're full of shit, and as they say, a skunk doesn't smell its own stink."

I grunt at that, turning down a street that Kira points out. "Why is it that you're afraid of storms?"

"I'm afraid of thunder, the louder the rumble, the more scared I am. The rain and lightning don't bother me."

"So you're afraid of a loud noise and not the bolt of electricity that could kill you?"

"Shut it." Kira growls, before squeaking as another boom of thunder crashes down around us. "I plan on saving you from your shit." Kira says, meeting my eyes with her determined blue ones.

I just stare back, at a loss for words. "How much farther?" I ask, becoming irritated. I didn't need saving.

"Over there." Kira points at an apartment complex and then points me to Kakkaku's door.

Another ear-splitting boom of thunder makes Kira clutch tighter to me, and I struggle to pry her off. As soon as I get her feet to touch the ground, she is pounding on her teammate's door as if her life depends on it. I take this moment to ghost away.

* * *

I stare dumbfounded at Kira, stretched out on tiptoe, her fists raised to continue banging on my door. A peal of thunder has her squeaking and jumping on me, holding on for dear life. I sigh as I shut the door and look down at the little waif of a girl.

"What are Takai and I going to do with you, huh? You're the only person I know of who is completely fearless, except when it comes to spiders and thunder." I say, and Kira's frightened eyes meet my own.

"I know it's an unfounded fear. Nothing bad ever happened to me during a storm." Kira whispers as she clings tighter while another peal of thunder shakes the house. "But being alone since I was four has left scars. A fear of spiders and thunder being the biggest ones."

I smile warmly at her, and bring her to the spare room in my house, where she and Takai often stay. Surprisingly, Arakita-Sensei had already come home, and Takai was here. As I cross the threshold to the room, Takai leaps up, concern on her face.

"Caught outside during a thunderstorm, huh?" Takai mocks, before pulling out a dry sports bra and some jammy bottoms that belong to Kira. I plop Kira on the bed and walk out of the room, letting Takai finish taking care of Kira.

* * *

A stab of thunder shakes Kakkaku's little two bedroom apartment, and I wince as more tears spill forth from my eyes, and I jump on Takai, who glares at me.

"What the hell? Get off!" Takai says, trying to shove me off her.

"But it's scary." I say, shivering.

"It's only warm air colliding with cold air that makes that noise." Takai says, rolling her eyes.

"I don't care, it's still scary." I say.

"Just put on the dry clothes."

"You'll stay here with me?" I ask, as I quickly get into my warm and fuzzy jammy bottoms, then get into the bed.

"Yes, now move over so I can get in bed." Takai says, shoving me over forcefully.

I growl at her, baring my fangs, before sliding over. I lay on my stomach, with my arms under the pillow as I snuggle up to Takai. Thankfully, the roaring thunder has quieted to the occasional rumble. With Takai's reassuring heat next to me, I slowly drift off to sleep.

* * *

I snuggled up to whatever was next to me, the warmth intoxicating. One of my arms was bent under my pillow, the other tossed over the warmth next to me. I breathed a sigh of contentment, and my eyes flash open at a not so familiar yet intoxicating smell. Hot desert sand with the tang of cinnamon, like in Big Red gum, and the undeniable smell of male. My gaze travels up a toned chest, a slight tan coloring the pale skin, and up to a mouth, my gaze hovering at his full lips before my eyes travel up and meet sea foam green ones ringed in black with dark red hair falling messily on his forehead and the pillow.

His eyes were smoldering as they watched me, and I could feel the blood rush to my cheeks as I began to blush. My ice blue eyes roamed back down, taking in his defined muscles, my thoughts becoming quite impure as I thought about how those muscled arms could hold me.

As if he had read my thoughts, Gaara pulls the arm I have thrown across his chest and now I am on top of him, straddling his hips. I gasp slightly as I feel him beneath me, and he definitely wanted me. I brace my hands on his chest, my gaze locked with his, and I lean down, meeting his lips with my own.

A smack across my face has my eyes flying open, and I stare in surprise and confusion at an angry Takai, her glare the type that would make you wither on the spot if you weren't used to it. Then I realize whose lips I'm _really _kissing and I jump off Takai. I'm across the room in less than two seconds.

"I… I…" I splutter, my eyes wide in shock.

"You are not allowed to sleep in the same bed as me anymore." Takai growls, wiping her mouth vigorously with the back of her hand.

"I'm sorry Takai… I was dreaming and—"

"Stop right there." Takai commands putting her hand up. "I _really _don't want to know."

"Erm… I'm going to go get dressed now…" I say, pointing towards the direction of the bathroom.

"Good idea." Takai says, rolling over and pulling the blankets up over her head.

* * *

I leave Kakkaku's apartment shortly after getting dressed, freaked out by my actions earlier in the morning. What had gotten into me that I was dreaming about things like _that?_

I stroll down the streets of Konoha, the sun warm on my skin. I wander aimlessly, then head to my own apartment, thinking of breakfast. Before I get there however, I'm ambushed by a familiar red haired shinobi, his sand spreading around, making escape impossible.

I immediately flush as I think back to my dream and what we would have done if Takai hadn't woken me up. Gaara looks at me with a question in his eyes as his sand moves around me restlessly. I flip the top off the water skin on my back and meet Gaara's eyes with my own.

"What's up?" I ask quite calmly, considering what I'm thinking about, which is his body over mine.

"A cold blooded killer afraid of thunder?" He asks, the sand settling.

"Hey don't judge." I say, crossing my arms defiantly. "And I'm not a cold blooded killer. I kill out of necessity. I already explained this." I say, glaring.

Gaara look at me menacingly for a second, his sand clustering around me again.

"You don't want to do that. I have a defense for it." I say, smirking at him.

"I doubt it." He says, as sand flies towards me.

My water rushes out of my water skin, blocking the sand, and turning it into a sopping puddle of mud. "Told ya so!" I say happily, winking at his surprised expression that he quickly wipes off his face. I pull the water out of his sand, and siphon it back to my water skin. "There, good as new!" I say, as the sand rises back up again.

"So that's what you were talking about when you said you had an idea for a new jutsu." Gaara says, his eyes appraising me.

I blush as his eyes roam up and down my body, then step forward, putting a hand on his shoulder. He stares at me confusedly his sea foam green eyes searching my ice blue ones. I gulp in nervousness, close my eyes, and press my lips against his.

* * *

**AN: So, what do you think? Leave me a review and let me know!**

**Also, go check out A Gaara Love Story: The Shukaku And The Sharingan by my good friend rainbowweekend. It is AWESOME, and very well written.**


	9. Someone Who Cares

_"Every street in this city is the same to me  
Everyone's got a place to be but there's no room for me  
Am I to blame when the guilt and the shame  
Hang over me like a dark cloud that  
Chases you down in the pouring rain"_

**Chapter 9: Someone Who Cares (Three Days Grace)**

He tasted exactly liked I dreamed of, hot sand and cinnamon. His body was tense, and I flicked my eyes open, and looked directly into his surprised sea foam eyes. I wrapped both my arms around his neck, tangling one hand in his hair. I pulled him flush against my body, taking what I wanted for once. I moved my lips over his, enjoying his sweet taste.

I wasn't allowed to assault him like this for long though, as he soon pushes me away, the shock in the depths of his eyes apparent. I stare at him longingly, and hold my hand out to him, silently urging him to take it. He looks at it, his face unreadable, and then his sand rises up around him, and he's gone.

* * *

The demon inside of me was going crazy over her taste, warm vanilla, lavender and a hint of summer rain. I wondered what had possessed her to kiss me. She had looked happy, her eyes closed, savoring my taste. I wanted to kill her, wanted to fuck her, wanted to believe what she had told me; that she was going to save me from myself.

"What's up with you?" Kankuro asks, giving me a look.

"Nothing." I growl, aiming a glare his way.

* * *

The day of the final part of the exams dawned sunny and warm, a slight breeze fanning my blonde hair out around me. I gazed around at the arena in amazement, Takai next to me, her face unreadable. I adjusted the thin black strap keeping my water skin on my back out of nervousness, my chainmail armor tinkling with my slight movement. I gazed out over the stands, the spectators all looking on and talking with excitement. I searched out and found Kakkaku, smiling down at Takai and I.

The wind carries the scent of hot desert across my nose and I turn to watch as the sand siblings stalk in, completely ignoring the competition. I follow Gaara with my eyes, that familiar excitement building up again, the thrill of seeing him making me much happier than I had been a moment ago. His eyes meet mine, and he looks at me expressionlessly. I can feel a blush spreading across my cheeks as I quickly turn away.

"What's up with her?" I hear Kankuro ask faintly, the words carrying over to me on the breeze.

"Kankuro!" Temari scolds, and I force myself not to look and see what's going on.

Gaara doesn't reply himself, so I assume he must have glared at his elder brother.

Soon, we're all gathered, with Naruto coming in late. I grin at him like an idiot as he moves to stand by me.

"Where's Sasuke?" He asks, looking around at everyone who has gathered.

"He hasn't shown up." I say, shrugging my shoulders. "He's a prick anyways, who cares?" I mutter under my breath, crossing my arms and scowling at the ground.

"That guy Dosu hasn't shown up either." Shikamaru points out.

"Well, then that's two less people to fight." I say, now glaring at the two.

"What's wrong with you?" Naruto asks, looking at me in confusion.

"I hate Sasuke, he's such an ass." I say, as I shuffle around to stand more comfortably.

"Hey, quit talking and face the spectators." The proctor says, eyeing us. "You're the stars of the final round."

I choose to glare at him instead before looking up at all the people who have placed bets on who will win. I don't care who had bet against me, I was going to beat the shit out of Gaara's brother, maybe then he would stop looking at me like a piece of meat.

I chance a glance at Gaara, who is glaringly angrily at the Kazekage as he takes a seat next to the Hokage. _His father… _I think to myself, scowling in that direction too. _The one who ordered Gaara killed for something the Kazekage himself did. _I continued glaring even when the Hokage stood up to make an announcement, which I ignored.

"Now before we begin take a good look. The order has been changed slightly." The proctor says, pulling out a white piece of paper. I glance over the names. My match was still the same, but now Shikamaru was facing Temari, and Takai was going to face Shino.

_I wonder what happened to Dosu… _I say to myself as the proctor folds the paper back up and stuffs it into his vest. I glance at Gaara and see his hand twitch. _Did he…? I think he killed him! _Gaara's eyes meet my own astonished ones, and he smirks sinisterly at me. I just offer him a smile, which wipes the smirk off his face, and is replaced with a glare.

"Sasuke's not here yet." Naruto says, looking about worriedly.

"If a competitor does not arrive by the start of their match, they will be disqualified." The proctor says, flicking his toothpick around.

Naruto puts a hand to his chin, thinking, and I chance another look at Gaara. He's looking straight ahead, his face emotionless, but I knew he wanted to face Sasuke, so he had to be thinking about something. A creepy smile starts playing across his lips, and I stare at him questioningly, but he is ignoring me now.

"Listen up guys, the rules are, there are no rules. You will battle until one of you dies or acknowledges defeat. If I deem a battle is over, then the battle is over. There will be no arguments." The proctor seems to look pointedly at Naruto this time. "The first battle is Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Neji. You two will stay down here, the rest of you will go up to the waiting area."

"Good luck Naruto!" I say happily, punching him lightly in the shoulder before turning and following Takai towards the stairs leading to the waiting area. I scurry up the stairs hurriedly, before running to the railing along the balcony. I grip it tightly as I watch Neji and Naruto face off.

"You seem like you want to say something." I hear Neji's condescending voice say. I pump a little chakra around my ears to hear better.

Naruto puts his fist out in front of him, pointing it at Neji. "I promise, I will win." Naruto says, his face determined.

Neji activates his Byakugan, then slides into his fighting stance. "That makes it more worthwhile for me. I look forward to your look of disappointment when you know the true reality."

"Stop whining." Naruto says, and I sigh and roll my eyes at his predictability. A strong gust of wind swirls about the arena, whipping my blonde hair about crazily. "Let's get started!" Naruto says, nothing but determination in his voice.

"First match, begin!" The proctor says, as cheers erupt around the stadium.

The two stare each other down, Neji shifting his fighting pose every now and then. "Come on Naruto!" I shout. "Kick his ass!"

Finally Naruto moves, throwing kunai before running straight in for a punch, which Neji blocks easily. "You would think he would know better after watching Neji's fight with Hinata." Takai says, sweat dropping.

"You know that's not Naruto's style." I say, smiling at Takai.

"He's going to get his ass handed to him." Takai says, crossing her arms and scowling at the two figures down in the arena.

"He'll win." I say confidently, before looking over to Gaara, who is watching with barely disguised interest.

Naruto keeps going at Neji with his taijutsu, before Neji finds an opening to exploit, hitting Naruto with a chakra encased hand right in the chest. I watch worriedly as Naruto chokes, his breath knocked out of him. Neji pushes down on Naruto's right shoulder with two fingers, and Naruto tumbles away, laying on the ground and holding his arm. The two start talking to each other.

"Fight Naruto! WIN!" I yell as Naruto stands up and creates four shadow clones.

They all rush in, but Neji easily avoids all the attacks, before destroying Naruto's clones. Neji looks at Naruto haughtily before prattling on about his destiny bullshit.

"Aw, shut up Neji! No one wants to hear it!" I holler, which earns me a fleeting glare from said shinobi.

Naruto prepares more shadow clones, around fifty to a hundred if I had to hazard a guess. Naruto's clones all charge, and Neji deflects them easily, before pinpointing the real Naruto and hitting him with a good jab. Naruto coughs up blood, his eyes surprised at being found out.

"Don't take any of his shit Naruto!" I yell, as the clones that were left all start to poof away.

"Don't assume anything." The Naruto clone says, before poofing away.

"Go Naruto!" I shout, cheering like a rabid fan-girl and jumping up and down excitedly.

"Honestly Kira…" Takai says, rolling her eyes at me.

"Zip it kitty face." I growl, glaring at Takai.

"You zip it, dog breath." Takai says, punching me in the head.

"Don't make me—"

"Will the both of you just shut up!?" Kankuro yells at us, glaring.

Takai and I glance at each other before glaring at Kankuro, both of us aiming killing intent his way. I direct my attention back down to the arena and see Naruto flying through the air, blue chakra spinning around Neji's body before slowly dissipating.

Naruto makes more clones and circles Neji, and this time it's my turn to sweat drop. "Naruto, don't you know any jutsu other than kage bunshin!?" I yell down to him. Naruto's clones are all destroyed as Neji spins around, blue chakra whirling again. It's a one hit KO for all the clones.

Naruto gets up just as Neji flies through the air, landing in front of him. His fingers glow with blue chakra as he strikes them relentlessly against Naruto's body. Naruto flies through the air, his body limp, before crashing down with a thud.

My jaw is on the floor, looking from Neji to Naruto and back again. "Did… Did you see that?" I whisper, and Takai nods her head.

"The Byakugan is a powerful weapon."

"Get up Naruto!" I shout, glaring at Neji.

Naruto struggles to stand as Neji spouts off about his destiny crap again. _Come on Naruto. _I will him to keep going in my head.

"No way. You shouldn't be able to stand!" Neji says, his face a beacon of shock.

"I told you that I'm going to win." Naruto says, panting heavily.

"Woohoo! Go Naruto!" I cheer obnoxiously, which earns me some more glares from Takai. "Hey, he's a good friend! And he's been ostracized since birth, he needs encouragement." I say stubbornly, stomping my foot.

Neji begins prattling on about the head family and branch family and about how he lost his father, and I tune him out, since obviously there was not going to be any fighting right now. I take this time to look at Gaara, who is watching with some interest on his face. I begin walking towards him, when Takai hisses behind me. "What are you doing?"

"Going to talk to the opposition." I say. "Wanna come with?"

"No." Takai says, crossing her arms and giving me a don't-be-stupid look.

"Suit yourself." I say, walking over to the sand siblings.

"What do you want?" Kankuro asks, looking me up and down.

"I just came to fraternize with the enemy." I say, glaring at him, before smiling at Gaara, who glares at me. I move to stand next to him, and smile inwardly when he doesn't leave or lean away. I place my hands on the railing, another bout of wind kicking up, my hair blowing out around me.

* * *

The wind blasts her smell of vanilla and lavender over to me, and I clench my fists, trying to control myself. Her blonde hair whips about her face, as she smiles and cheers on her friend from beside me.

"Naruto puts up a good fight, ne Gaara?" She says, smiling warmly at me.

A weird warmth gathers in my stomach, but I just scowl at her.

"Oh cut it out. If you do that for too long, your face will freeze that way." She giggles at me, her face still lit up with happiness.

I ignore her with some difficulty, and train my eyes on the arena. The Byakugan user had run over to Naruto, and smashed a chakra encased hand into Naruto's chest, sending the blonde shinobi flying. I was amazed at the kid's stamina, but that was to be expected from a fellow jinchuriki. However, he seemed to lack any jutsu, and I wondered what the hell he had been learning over the one month break.

"Get up Naruto!" Kira screeches from beside me, making me wince. I glare at her, but she is ignoring _me _now, her focus entirely on her friend.

I look down into the arena again, and Naruto is attempting to stand, his body shaking from all the damage he's taken. He continues to converse with his opponent, angering me because I can't hear what's being said.

"You tell him Naruto!" Kira cheers, and I look at her in surprise. _She can hear what they're saying to each other?_

"You can hear them?" I ask quietly, so no one overhears.

"Well yeah, I just pooled some chakra in my ears to enhance my hearing." She says, a huge smile aimed at me.

I scowl at her out of necessity, although I'd rather not try and push her away anymore. I had to keep up pretences. _Think about the mission. _I reminded myself, before thinking what might happen to her. An image of her dead body on the ground comes to mind, growing cold and stiff by my own hand. I shudder inwardly at the thought. The demon inside of me isn't too keen on the idea either, and I have to wonder why he's not excited at the image.

"Neji just asked how Naruto plans on winning when he's had all of his chakra points closed off." Kira says, looking at me, before going back to looking down into the arena. "And Naruto is saying that he'll win no matter what. FUCK YEAH NARUTO! YOU TELL HIM!" She screams down into the arena, making the blonde shinobi look up at her with a small smile.

Naruto closes his eyes in concentration, and brings two fingers in front of his face.

"Neji just told the proctor he's going to fight with the intent to kill now." Kira narrates, casting me a worried glance and biting her lip. The sight of her biting her bottom lip makes me feel weird, almost good in a way.

I watch as Neji smirks at Naruto, his face one of triumph. Naruto is still concentrating on something, and he grunts in his efforts. Neji activates his Byakugan, but Naruto continues concentrating. And then I see it, a flickering of orange as the small pebbles near Naruto rise into the air from the high levels of chakra leaking out of his body.

I can feel the sinister power of the chakra, so much like my own, but it still surprises me. It must show on my face, because a warm hand brushes my own, and when I look down, Kira's fingers are brushing mine. I step away from her, taking my hand with me as I glare at her.

I focus back down into the arena, where Naruto has become much faster as he rushes at Neji, the orange chakra forming around him like a cloak.

"Way to go Naruto!" Kira shouts, leaning over the railing as she cheers.

Naruto throws some shuriken, which Neji stops by rotating and expelling chakra from his body. He catches two of the shuriken and takes out several more throwing them at Naruto who just speeds away and dodges them. The two run at each other again and again, and Kira continues cheering like a maniac. She stops for a second and glances at me, offering me another one of her smiles, which I don't return, even though deep down I think I _want _to. I scowl at myself as this thought pops up. _Since when do I want to smile at anyone?_

Naruto charges at Neji, his feet creating craters as they connect with the ground because of the sheer force of the orange chakra. They clash with kunai creating an explosion that has Kira covering her face with her arms. I use my sand to block my face, and seeing this, Kira sidles over to me so that she is behind my sand too.

"That sand is mighty useful." Kira whispers in my ear, giggling, before I feel warmth on my cheek. I look out of the corner of my eye, but she's gone, a trail of laughter the only thing she leaves behind.

_Did she just kiss my cheek again? _I wonder as the dust begins to settle in the arena. I lower my sand shield and Kira is there in front of me, leaning on the railing. She looks down into the arena with intense concentration, her eyes roaming the entire space.

I look down into the field to see two smoking holes in the ground, the slight breeze slowly clearing the smoke away. A hand rises out of the rubble of one hole like a bad horror film, and Neji slowly climbs out. I can vaguely see Naruto's unconscious form in the other. Neji staggers over to look down on Naruto. I fold my arms across my chest, having decided that Neji has one this one. I'm surprised yet again however, as Naruto comes up from the ground, a forceful uppercut connecting with Neji's jaw, sending him flying.

"Yeah Naruto!" Kira shouts, pumping her fist into the air happily.

"Winner of this match, Uzumaki Naruto." The proctor says, and Kira is immediately over the railing and hugging the boy.

* * *

I leap into the arena and hug Naruto tightly. "Way to go Naruto, I knew you could do it!" I say, beaming him a smile amid cheers from the crowd. Naruto gives me a happy smile in return before running about the ring happily. "Come on, let's get you up to the waiting area." I say, pulling on Naruto's arm and using my teleportation jutsu to get him to the waiting area.

"Thanks Kira-chan." Naruto says, smiling like an idiot, still on a major high from his win, before moving on to talk with Shikamaru.

"Since we're still waiting on one participant, we're going to skip ahead to the next match."

"Hey, then that means my match is one match closer!" Shikamaru complains loudly.

"Oh suck it up!" I say, flipping over the railing and landing gracefully on the ground.

"The next match is Chikako Kira and Kankuro." The proctor says as he looks up into the waiting area for Kankuro.

I watch Kankuro begin raising his hand, and the water flows out of my water skin as fast as lightning, encasing Kankuro and bringing him down to the field. I deposit him on the ground, and then siphon the water out of his clothes. "Don't even think about withdrawing." I say menacingly, glaring at the boy in front of me. "I trained my ass off, and you are going to battle me, or—" I lower my voice for the next part, whispering in his ear, "I'll feed you to my bijuu, Gobi." I give Kankuro a feral smile as he stares at me in shock.

"In the tower you said…" Kankuro begins and I nod at him.

"I thought you would have figured it out by now." I say flippantly, tossing my blonde hair over my shoulder before walking away several paces.

"Begin the match!' The proctor says, and I lick my lips as the water dances about my body.

Kankuro pulls his puppet off his back, and I glance at Crow, not worried since I already saw what Crow can do. I shoot my water towards the puppet, infusing it with my lightning chakra. The lightning dances merrily along the water as I form it into a whip, which I make lash out, smashing one of the legs to bits of wood. I force my water into another two whips, infusing these with lighting too. I direct one at Crow, and Kankuro expertly moves Crow around as he tries to dodge my attacks. I snake the other whip to come in from behind, and am please when my whip gets a good strike across Kankuro's cheek. Blood spurts forth, dripping from the wound as Kankuro convulses slightly from the lightning.

* * *

I watch as Kankuro gets his ass handed to him, the power behind Kira's water surprising me. Hell, I was surprised she had mastered this in less than three weeks. Her water was much like my sand, able to attack and deflect.

"Gaara, is that…?" Temari asks, her eyes wide in shock.

"Kira did say my sand was her inspiration." I say before ignoring my sister.

"I never imagined anyone could make a jutsu like yours…"

I continue watching the match. Kira's new water jutsu was pummeling Kankuro, who was a long range fighter. Kira could cover everything with that water of hers.

"You're boring me." I hear Kira say to Kankuro, but whatever my brother says is lost as the wind picks up again.

Kira uses the water to fight off Crow as she closes in on my brother, striking him with lightning infused water whips to make it harder for him to move.

"Kankuro is no match for her..." My sister whispers, and I glance up to see worry on her face.

"Suirō no Jutsu!" Kira says, when she is within a few feet of Kankuro. Water siphons out of her water skin, and more water collects in the sky and from the ground, before the water completely envelops Kankuro. I watch in amazement as Crow falls to the ground, Kankuro's chakra strings severed. Kira's hand remains in the sphere of water, and cheers erupt from the crowd.

"To think he would be beaten so easily…" Temari says quietly as the proctor announces Kira the victor. I glance up at my father, his face expressionless as he watches his eldest son get his ass handed to him.

Kira releases her water prison, all the water rushing back into her water skin. She teleports into the waiting area, where she in congratulated by all the Konoha genin. She smiles cheerily, before glancing over at me and winking.

"The next match will be Temari and Nara Shikamaru." The proctor says, looking up into the waiting area. I watch as my sister leaps down, confident in her own battle prowess.

* * *

I watch as Shikamaru looks nervously down into the battlefield. "What, scared of a girl beating you?" I ask, smiling at him.

"Come on Shikamaru, fight hard!" Naruto shouts, shoving Shikamaru over the railing and into the arena.

I sweat drop at Naruto, who continues smiling like an idiot. Poor Shikamaru lands on his back, and spectators angered by his laziness throw trash at him. "Get up you lazy bum!" I yell down to him, laughing with Naruto.

The battle really drags on, with Shikamaru biding his time by a tree as he waits for the shadows to elongate. I just know he's cloud gazing, watching as the breeze carries the clouds across the sky.

"What the hell Shikamaru!" I yell. "Just get her already!" I glance over at Gaara who is scowling at me. "What? I have to root for my village you know!"

"Just ignore that guy." Naruto says to me, looking at Gaara with something almost like dislike in his eyes.

"Hey be nice to Gaara-kun!" I say, whacking Naruto on the head. "He's a nice guy once you get to know him!" Gaara looks at me impassively and I sigh. Then walk over to him and smile. "How about I root for them equally?" I ask the red head, who glances at me out of the corner of his eye but remains silent. "Go Temari, go Shikamaru!" I shout, and Naruto turns and looks at me in disbelief.

"Why are you cheering for her?" He asks.

"Well, I like Gaara-kun, and I want him to like me back, so I'm being nice to him and his family." I say, beaming a smile at Naruto.

He gives me a look like I'm crazy, and Takai rolls her eyes at me.

Down below, Shikamaru has gone into his thinking pose, and he sits there for several minutes before his eyes flash open and the battle begins with earnest. I watch as Shikamaru fools her into thinking she's analyzing his shadow as he corals her to the hole Naruto created earlier, and is finally able to catch her. He forces her to walk forward, and he forces her to raise her hand in the air.

"Good grief, I quit." Shikamaru says lazily. The crowd watches in stunned silence for a minute, and my jaw hits the floor.

"What do you mean 'I quit'!? You're too lazy Shikamaru!" I holler down at him.

This thought is also taken up by the crowd as they begin to riot over the outcome of the battle.

"I've used too much chakra from trying to use Shadow Possession so many times in a short period. I can't hold this jutsu up for more than ten seconds." Shikamaru says, and I shake my head in disappointment.

"See, your sister won!" I say happily to Gaara, giving him a pat on the back. He gives me a small glare and sand dances around me dangerously. "You wouldn't hurt your friend would you?" I ask, giving him another discreet peck on the cheek before dancing away to join Naruto. I glance at Takai who looks at me darkly. Clearly she hadn't missed my bout of affection.

"The winner is Temari." The proctor says, and I sigh my disappointment.

* * *

**AN: Two chapters in one day, I'm on a roll. Leave me a review and let me know what you think of Kira's match!**


	10. Monster

_"I feel it deep within  
It's just beneath the skin  
I must confess that I feel like a monster  
I hate what I've become  
The nightmare's just begun I must confess that I feel like a monster"_

**Chapter 10: Monster (Skillet)**

"Next match Sayomi Takai and Aburame Shino." The proctor says, looking up into the waiting area.

Takai leaps down into the arena, and I cheer like a madwoman. "Go Takai! Woo! Kick mister bug-man's ass!"

Takai gives me a small smile as she takes her place in the middle of the arena, sliding into her fighting stance.

"There's no way you can beat me." Shino says, his bugs fluttering about.

"Haven't you heard? Cats eat bugs." Takai says, grinning sinisterly at her opposition.

"Match Aburame Shino and Sayomi Takai begin!" The proctor says, and Takai immediately leaps back, her eyes seeming to track every bug that flies by.

"Don't underestimate him Takai!" I shout from my spot next to Gaara, who has been glaring at me occasionally. Once his sand had even danced about my body threateningly, I had chuckled and smiled at him before soaking his sand. "Shino's fast!" I yell.

"Can you go be loud somewhere else?" Temari asks me.

"No, I like being right here." I say, giving her a poisonous look.

Temari crosses her arms and huffs at me, and I ignore her, focusing on Takai and the fight unfolding. Her speed is much like Lee's now, and it's almost impossible to see her while she's running. She appears behind Shino and throws several kunai before running off again, this time throwing kunai from the front.

Shino ducks, effectively dodging, before sending out his bugs which spill forth from his body. Takai back flips away, until she is clear across the field. I watch as she inhales a large breath, and I anticipate a wind style move. "Fūton: Mugen Sajin Daitoppa!" Takai expels her held breath, creating a slicing blast of wind with chakra and sand imbedded in it.

"You go Takai, that was awesome!" I shout as I watch almost half of the bugs in the air drop to the ground. Shino meanwhile has tried to take refuge behind a tree, but the chakra slices through the trees like butter, felling a good handful. I turn to look at Temari who is looking on with keen interest. "I think Takai has better control of her wind chakra than you do." I say.

"I barely delved into my power." Temari says haughtily, crossing her arms.

"If you say so." I giggle, winking at Gaara who has the smallest of smirks on his face, and my heart does a funny palpitating dance in my chest. Even with a smirk on his face, he had to be the most handsome and beautiful face I'd ever seen.

I resume watching the match, and see Takai advancing on Shino menacingly, her blood lust palpable. I glance again at Gaara, and he has a slightly insane look on his face. I reach out and shake his shoulder. "Earth to Gaara." I say, and he blinks, the insane face starting to clear and look normal again. He glares at me and steps further away, a wall of sand coming up to separate us. I just walk around it and raise an eyebrow at him. "You don't have to hide from me." I whisper, and watch as he glares at me. "I know how Shukaku makes his hosts unbalanced. Trust me when I say that it doesn't bother me. I'll just try my best to snap you out of it." I grin at him and blow him another kiss, which makes him scowl at me more. I sigh and walk over to the railing to continue watching the match.

"Finish him Takai!" I shout, noticing how much Shino is panting. She must have been making him move, but she herself looked like she was barely winded.

"Ready for my new jutsu Kira?" Takai yells up to me.

"Hell yes!" I shout back, beaming at my friend and teammate.

"Fūton: Atsugai!" Takai says, and I watch as a tornado begins forming itself in front of Takai. It grows bigger, the vortex spinning more rapidly until it takes up a good portion of the arena. Then the tornado moves, much faster than I anticipated, barreling down towards Shino. The vortex of wind sucks up Shino, and moments later he is thrown out of it, his body creating a crater in the ground.

I watch as Takai smirks, hands on her hips. The proctor goes over to Shino, then glances at Takai. "The winner of this match is Sayomi Takai."

"Yeah Takai!" I shout, sailing into the arena to hug my best friend amid shouts of pleasure from the crowd.

"Get off." Takai says, but her face is lit up in a true smile, something as rare as getting any kind of smile out of Gaara.

We make our way back to the waiting area and I'm quick to catch Temari's envious glance. Takai however, doesn't notice, as all the Konoha shinobi come to congratulate her and compliment her on such a strong jutsu.

"That vortex is nothing right now." Takai says, as she goes into a rare boast mode. "It's an S-rank jutsu, so the more I practice the better it'll be. Really, that was small compared to what it can be."

"Wow. I thought I was badass teaching myself an A-rank jutsu, and that's S-rank?" I ask, surprise on my face.

Takai smiles at me, and I pat her on the back, proud of my partner's accomplishments.

"One participant still hasn't arrived." The proctor says, catching my attention. "So there's going to be a ten minute extension."

The crowd goes nuts, clearly displeased that Sasuke hasn't turned up yet. "What the hell is keeping him?" Naruto asks, glancing all around the arena.

I look at Gaara, who is scowling, "He'll show." He says in a sinister voice, and I contact Gobi, who I've had sealed off from me for the fights since I didn't want his opinion. _Is Gaara going to be ok?_ I ask Gobi worriedly.

_Shukaku has made Gaara bloodthirsty for Sasuke… I don't know what will happen if Sasuke doesn't show._

_Damn… _I mutter, glancing at Gaara again. His face is still unnaturally stoic at the moment, but I know that it'll change by the time the next round starts.

At the end of the ten minutes, just as the proctor is about to announce that Sasuke is disqualified, Kakashi and Sasuke appear in the middle of the arena. I was surprised to see that Sasuke had changed his outfit, and he hadn't cut his hair, the bangs that jut over his face extremely long, only to make him look like more of a girl.

"What the hell Sasuke!" Naruto shouts, glaring at his teammate.

"Oh shut-it Naruto. Sasuke's a loser who doesn't deserve your attention." I sigh, glaring down into the arena, dislike etched all over my face. Naruto huffs and crosses his arms, displeased with me it would seem. I hook my arm around the blonde's neck, and pull his head down into my chest and give him a noogie. "Quit sulking, that's Sasuke's forte." I giggle as I rub my knuckles into his head.

"Kira-chan! Cut it out!" Naruto wiggles out of my grip and pouts at me, only making me laugh more. My laughter is infectious, and soon the knucklehead is grinning back at me.

I glance at Gaara, his bloodlust much more palpable than earlier, and watch as he slowly walks to the stairs that lead into the arena. A fleeting look of concern flashes across my face, and a nervous bout of butterflies unleash to flap around in my stomach. I glance down into the arena, and glare at Sasuke, who glares right back.

Finally Gaara makes it down to the arena, and I watch concerned, as the red head I think I'm falling for and the stupid ass face off. They glare at each other, and then I see Gaara giggling in a way that scares me. Not once have I been afraid of Gaara, but I am now. There was something dangerous going on inside him, I could feel it in my bones.

_Gobi, see if you can talk to either Gaara or Shukaku. I don't like the way Gaara looks._

_Neither do I. _Gobi says, before leaving me in silence.

The whole arena quiets as Sasuke and Gaara walk towards each other a few paces, Sasuke still glaring, while Gaara has a sardonic smile on his face.

"Begin!" The proctor shouts before leaping away.

I inhale, holding my breath as I watch to see who makes the first move. I'm confident in Gaara, but if Sasuke kills him, so help me, Sasuke will also stop breathing… _permanently._

_Glad to see you like Sasuke so much. _Gobi snickers as he takes that moment to butt in with the information he's gathered. I give him a mental glare as the sand in Gaara's gourd begins flowing out, making Sasuke jump away wearily. _It seems the seal holding Shukaku at bay is extremely loose, and Gaara is losing his marbles. _I glare at Gobi again, vowing to give him a mental beating the next chance I get.

"Kira?" Takai asks, glancing at me and raising an eyebrow. Her voice startles me, and I resurface from the depths of my mind.

"What?"

"You were scowling awful hard. What's up?"

"Just Gaara, and his… situation." I say, raising my eyebrows and pointing at my stomach discreetly.

Takai's eyebrows disappear into her hair line as she looks at me in surprise.

"It's not a competent seal." I whisper, leaning over and glancing around to make sure no nosy Nancy's are trying to listen in. Movement on the battlefield grabs my attention, and I see Gaara holding his head. I catch his lips moving, but not what he says. I enhance my hearing, just missing what he says.

I hear footsteps behind me, and glare at Kankuro, who taps his sister's shoulder. "You're not supposed to be up here." I hiss at him, but he ignores me, and exchanges a meaningful look with Temari. They stalk off to the corner, but their hushed conversation doesn't escape my ears.

"His conversation's started. This is bad." I hear Kankuro whisper, casting a worried glance down into the arena.

"This is the first time I've seen Gaara like that before fighting." Temari says, a hint of worried compassion in her voice.

_Interesting, so the cold sister isn't really that cold… I wonder if Kankuro's the same… _I think to myself as the sand that had been hovering about Gaara's body falls to the ground.

"Come on." Gaara growls menacingly at Sasuke, crossing his arms.

"Here we go." Sasuke pulls two shuriken from his holster and whips them at Gaara. His sand rises to meet them, and a Gaara shaped sand figure emerges, clutching both the shuriken.

"His sand shield became a sand clone." Temari says, watching the fight with mild concern. I glare at her angrily. If Gaara is so unstable then why don't they stop this?

The sand launches an offensive attack and Sasuke leaps into the air, throwing more shuriken. The sand clone throws the kunai from earlier, and they meet in the air, the harsh clang of metal ringing across the arena. My eyes follow every aspect of the fight, and a feeling of dread washes over me as I watch Sasuke use taijutsu.

"Come on Gaara!" I shout, making him glance my way in surprise. "Hand that douche bag's ass to him!"

Sasuke speeds up, and Gaara looks even more surprised, and I feel a knot forming in my gut. If Sasuke hurts Gaara… _Damn, why am I so protective of him? _I ask myself.

_Because, you're head over heels for him. But getting involved with him is inadvisable. _Gobi says, trying to be the voice of reason.

_Shut-up. _I growl, glaring at Gobi again.

_He's younger than you… Cougar. _Gobi says, smirking at me.

_I am not a cougar! _I shout at Gobi, and he  
snickers.

"Shut-up!" I growl, making everyone in the box turn and look at me, Takai with a worried glance, everyone else with questions on their faces.

"Yes, let's all stare at the little blonde who talks to herself!" I grind out between clenched teeth as Gobi howls with laughter. My anger makes me momentarily lose control of myself, and the henge disguising my fangs disappear, and I feel the familiar prickling in my eyes that means they are changing from ice blue to orange. I glare at the two sand shinobi first and their eyes widen in surprise before they step back.

"Kira, get a hold of yourself!" Takai says, shaking me around a bit.

I blink and feel my rising anger settle, but I am not calm enough to replace my henge or force my eyes back to normal yet. Takai lets out a small sigh of relief, and we both return to watching the match, the water that I had bound to my will sloshing around angrily in my water skin.

As I gaze back down into the arena, Sasuke is running circles around a still slightly stunned looking Gaara. "Come on Gaara, get 'im!" I shout.

"Why do you care about our brother?" Temari asks, raising an eyebrow as I turn to look at her with my orange eyes.

"Because," my whisper is feral as it hisses between my lips, "I am like him, and he is like me. I understand him and what he's been through more than you."

Temari's eyes widen at this information, and she looks from between me and Gaara and back again. I turn back to the fight, studiously ignoring her and Kankuro.

Gaara and Sasuke are several feet apart, both panting heavily. I can see cracks in Gaara's sand armor across his face, and I glare at Sasuke, my rage at him hurting Gaara becoming palpable to the others in the waiting area. I can feel many nervous glances being thrown my way, and even Naruto who knows what I am, has backed away a few paces.

Gaara puts his hands in front of his face, creating a seal, and the sand rises around him, creating a perfect sphere of protection. I watch as his third eye appears outside of the cylindrical ball, and I breathe a sigh of relief. As my anger calms I can feel my eyes prickling again, changing back to their normal color. I decide not to put up my henge again, and leave my long sharp canines alone.

Sasuke runs at the sphere of sand, only to be wet with sharp spikes that launch away from the ball, effectively stopping Sasuke in his tracks. He leaps away, panting, and eyes the sphere with his sharingan. He runs at the sphere again and again, only to be met with the spikes of sand.

I shade my eyes as they track Sasuke up the side of the arena. He makes hand signs as he slows to a stop, clinging to the wall of the arena with chakra coated feet. At the end of his hand signs he holds his arm out, seeming to concentrate. I'm about to shout more encouragement when two voices carry over to me, and I scowl at Gaara's siblings.

"What plans is he screwing up?" I ask menacingly, glaring at the two. Now I knew for a fact that something was up.

"It's none of your business." Kankuro snaps.

I growl at him, exposing my wolf-like fangs, as the growl rumbles deep in my throat. "If it involves the village or the people in it, then it is my business. I've been listening to you this whole match."

The both of them look at me, 'oh crap' faces on both of them.

I'm about to tell them off, when a strange chirping unlike anything I've ever heard grabs my attention. Sasuke is running down the wall, and what looks like a ball of lightning is attached to his hand. I stare apprehensively at it, unease starting to grip my belly again.

Sasuke runs at the sphere of sand, and I gasp as his lightning encased hand cuts through the sand like butter.

"No way! That's Gaara's absolute defense." Kankuro hisses at Temari.

"Impossible…" Temari mutters, stunned expressions on both their faces.

I glance at them, and seeing their faces makes me worry for Gaara even more. If Shukaku got out… I shudder at the thought.

_You could always let me out to play with the old grouch. _Gobi chuckles.

_What is it with you lately? You're acting really weird, and no I won't let you out, even if Shukaku takes over. _I growl at the white wolf, jabbing my finger at him through the bars of his cage. He just lies down, flopping on his side and stretching out, ignoring me.

An earth shattering scream has me whipping my head to the battlefield. Sasuke is still standing in front of the sphere of sand, but he is struggling to get his arm out, meanwhile Gaara is screaming from inside his once impenetrable cocoon.

"My blood! My blood… is…" The sound of his voice has me gulping, but my heart is in my throat as I think of what might happen now.

Sasuke activates his lightning attack once more in an effort to get his arm out. As he frees himself, a clawed hand with blue markings made of the sand is forced to let go of Sasuke's arm.

"Fuck." I murmur to myself, my eyes wide with disbelief.

_The seal is breaking… _Gobi laughs from in his cage, and I can't control my anger at the white wolf.

"Damnit! Gobi would you just shut your mouth!" I hiss under my breath, grabbing Takai's attention.

"What's he saying?" Takai asks worriedly, glancing at me.

"He's done nothing but antagonize me since I opened up the communication pathways." I growl, as Gobi laughs louder, making me grasp my head much like Gaara had earlier.

"Is the seal weakening?" Takai asks worriedly, her hand on my shoulder, forcing me to glance up at her.

"I don't think so… but something is definitely up with him." I say, as my attention is dragged back to the battlefield. Rustlings could be heard from the sphere of sand. The sand shield cracked and then began to dissolve, leaving a panting Gaara in the sea of sand. He held his left shoulder eyes closed, and I could see it, blood dripping down from a wound.

Shukaku's chakra was resonating with my body, calling to Gobi. I grip my stomach as Gobi howls inside of me, snarling at the bars that are keeping him sealed. "Damn, does Shukaku's presence make the demons crazy too?" I mutter as another pang lances through my stomach.

"Nibi has been quiet." Takai whispers, glancing at me as I double over in pain.

"Whatever you do, don't let me go on a rampage." I say, closing my eyes as another bout of pain crashes into me. I lift up my chainmail and the seal on my stomach blazes in black, looking like a perfect tattoo.

"Fuck me." I groan, as feathers seem to magically rain down from the sky. I scowl as one floats down in front of me, and through my pain I manage to put two fingers together. "Kai!" I say, releasing the would-be genjutsu.

Takai follows suit, and we both watch as Temari and Kankuro appear on either side of Gaara, before leading him away. "This does not bode well." Takai sighs as Sasuke chases after them, before our attention is drawn to the Kage's viewing area, where an explosion of smoke has sprung up. Clanging metal has us looking in another direction, Kakashi and Gai in combat with enemies.

"What the fuck?" I grumble, arms crossed as I try to decide what to do. I make a decision, and grab Takai's arm to get her attention. "I'm going after Gaara. I think he may trust me, so he might calm down if I can get through to him." I say before doubling over at another pang in my gut. Gobi has his teeth locked around one of the bars to his cage, yanking with his strong jaws in a desperate bid to free himself.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Takai asks, as Kakkaku leaps over to us.

"What's going on?" He asks, looking from me to Takai.

"It's Gaara, and Shukaku. The seal is weakening. And Gobi is trying desperately to claw his way out of Kira." Takai says, glancing at me as I huff at her.

"And Nibi?" Kakkaku asks worriedly.

"She could care less." Takai shrugs.

"Let's just go help Gaara." I grumble, springing off, not waiting for my teammates to follow.

* * *

By the time we finally catch up to Gaara, his siblings are nowhere to be found, and Gaara is halfway through his transformation. Sakura is knocked out, big surprise there, bound to a tree by sand in the shape of claws, the same blue lines running through it that I saw earlier. Sasuke is lying on a branch high up in the trees, and it doesn't take long to see that he is out cold too. Naruto is facing off against Gaara, his eyes determined. I leap up next to Naruto, Takai heading for Sasuke and Kakkaku for Sakura.

"What's up?" I ask Naruto, smiling at him. He just glances at me before looking back at Gaara. I follow his gaze and my heart breaks for the broken boy in front of me. Gaara holds his head, growling in pain. I pop the top on my water skin, letting the water flow out, preparing to battle the broken angel across from me.

"What's the matter?" Gaara asks, glaring at me and Naruto. "Don't you care what happens to your so called precious friends?" Gaara tightens the sand binding Sakura, and Kakkaku struggles furiously to get her out of the sand.

"Damn it…" Naruto mutters, creating hand signs and biting his thumb before slamming his palm on a tree branch. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

I sweat drop as a little toad appears. Naruto and said toad begin yelling furiously at each other, and I roll my eyes at the two. I bite my own thumb and swipe the blood down my summoning tattoo. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu." I mutter. The pack leader appears under my feet, as tall as a small mountain. I pat the black wolf, who growls at me.

"Why have you summoned me?"

"Relax Kuro, there's a fight to be won." I say as another pang swirls in my belly.

"Gobi is trying to get out? Why?" Kuro asks, ever the observant one when it comes to my demon.

"That's why." I say, pointing down at Gaara, who is glaring at me and my wolf summon.

"Ah, the Shukaku container. You must have strong feelings for this one if Gobi is trying to get out." Kuro says, rolling his eyes up to look at me.

I blush crimson at his words but don't respond. I glance down at Naruto, who is talking to Gaara again.

"I need to save everyone." Naruto says, glancing around the clearing.

"Hey, I'm here to help!" I interject and Naruto just glances up at me, before turning back to Gaara.

"Save everyone? Don't make me laugh. I fight only for myself!" Gaara says, his face transformed into the shape of Shukaku's head.

"Be ready Kuro." I murmur before leaping off the pack leader and landing in front of Gaara, close enough to reach out and touch him. I hold my hand out to Gaara, and he looks at it before looking into my face, questioning me. "Fight for me." I whisper, and Gaara's eyes widen in surprise, but he soon looses the expression as he laughs evilly at me.

"Who are you to me? You are nothing more than another person to prove my existence."

I glare at him angrily, and slap him across his Shukaku-esque face. The stinging slap rings out through the forest, and Gaara is once again looking at me in shocked surprise. "No I am not. I am someone who was betting on you to win, not because of the thing locked inside you, but because of who you are as a person." I say, hands on hips.

"You are like all the rest." Gaara spits out and I glare at him, my eyes glowing orange.

"I understand you and your pain better than anyone else. I have a demon too, remember?" I shout at him, baring my fangs.

Gaara glares at me, but I can see deep in the depths of his gold and black eyes that he registers the truth about what I say. Shukaku however is too much at the forefront of his mind, and sand rushes at me from all sides. I quickly use the transportation jutsu and appear next to Naruto.

I watch sadly as Gaara transforms more into the one-tail, the only human identifiers left are his legs and shock of red hair that looks oddly misplaced on Shukaku's head. I glance at the red ai tattoo imprinted on his forehead, and another idea occurs to me. I sling off my water skin, the water filtering back in and the cap fitting on snugly as I do so. Next I grasp the hem on my chainmail shirt and lift it over my head.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Naruto asks, looking at me like I'm crazy as I deposit my chainmail shirt on the ground.

"You'll see." I say, my eyes locking with the half transformed Shukaku. "Gaara!" I shout over at him, my flesh tone bra the only thing covering my top half.

Shukaku's eyes rake up and down my body, and the demon licks his lips appreciatively, his eyes lingering on the black seal swirling around on my stomach.

"We are the same." I say quietly, sure that I have the demon's attention. I turn and push my right bra strap down, fully revealing my own black ai kanji on my shoulder blade. I feel rather than see the sand wrap around me, squeezing tightly around my body. I don't struggle, just look over at Gaara over my shoulder. I am tossed unceremoniously to the side, and Kuro catches me with a soft paw. I look up at him and smile sadly.

"It was worth a try." He says, as I stand up and leap to his head.

"What's wrong, are you afraid of me?" Gaara taunts. "To fight for the sake of oneself? To fight for the sake of others? You should just love yourself, and fight only for yourself! That is the definition of being strong."

I leap off of Kuro's head again, landing in front of Gaara once more. "I am not afraid of you." I say, looking him straight in the eye, my own orange eyes blazing. "But I fight for others, and today I'm fighting for you." I say, my hand reaching out again. Just like before I am swatted away. I land on my feet several yards away before leaping back to Naruto, picking up my chainmail shirt and donning it once again.

"Show me your strength, so I can bring that strength to the ground!" Gaara says, clutching his Shukaku claws into fists.

Naruto leaps off, creating multiple shadow clones as he sails through the air. Gaara easily destroys them. I leap back up onto Kuro's head.

"Grab him." I say, and Kuro stretches his neck out, grabbing Gaara by his sand tail and flinging him up in the air. Naruto rushes in, using his shadow clones to gain altitude. A kunai wrapped with a paper bomb brandished in his hands, Naruto lodges the kunai deep into the underside of the tail. Gaara bats him away in mid-air, and then the explosion rocks the forest. When the smoke clears I see Gaara far below me, in a tree, his tail completely blown off and the left side of his sand body disintegrated to a degree.

Naruto is in the same tree as Sasuke, and the black haired nitwit is trying to get to his feet, Takai glaring at him and trying to make him sit back down. Sasuke somehow manages to stand while shaking off Takai, and I can see that the curse mark has started to take over his body. I sigh at this turn of events. In Sasuke's current condition, he's only going to get in the way.

"Can you make Sasuke sit still, he's only going to hinder out progress." I grouch at Takai, who glares at me. I glance down into the trees again, and whatever Sasuke has said to Naruto seems to have affected him as he creates a massive number of clones.

"What is it with this massive number of clones?" Gaara growls, looking around in amazement. Sasuke too looks around, dumbfounded.

I watch, a smirk on my face as Naruto uses his Uzumaki barrage again, this time calling it the 'Uzumaki Naruto Two Thousand Barrage', aptly named for the amount of clones he has.

Gaara is launched out of the tree, slamming into the ground. His body creates a small crater in the ground, and the sand that had been forming Shukaku's body is sloughing off slightly. Gaara leaps out of the small crater, his pupils fully dilated. "No way I'll lose to a guy like this!" He shouts, as he shoots up, completely turning into the Shukaku. The Tanuki looks around, his eyes locking on me. I stare back, hoping there's nothing but love and compassion in my face.

Sand starts snaking around Naruto, and I break eye contact to look worriedly at the blonde ninja. Kuro leaps to the side, a snarl ripping past his lips.

"Don't look away from me!' Shukaku screeches, his sand whipping towards me and Kuro. He dodges again, and I hold fast to the black fur on his head.

"We're going to need a plan." Kuro growls at me, his hackles rise as a low menacing growl rumbles out of his throat, his teeth bared in a snarl.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Naruto's voice rings loud and clear through the forest, and to my amazement and delight, he is able to summon the boss toad. "I will protect my comrades!" Naruto says, a defiant look of determination on his face. "Chief toad, join me in this fight!"

The red toad puffs on his pipe. "No way."

Naruto starts screaming again, and I roll my eyes. Now is so not the time for a fight.

"Why would I go out of my way to fight a guy like that?" the Chief says, eyeing Shukaku. "It's idiotic!"

"You have me to team up with." Kuro growls, making the Chief look over his shoulder at us.

"Pops, listen to what this kid says!" The little toad from earlier pipes up. "That guy over there started picking on me, and this guy saved me."

"I see." Chief says, his eyes narrowing on Shukaku.

"Willing to team up now?" Kuro snorts, stalking over to stand next to the Chief.

"Only because he bullied my son." The Chief says in his gravelly voice.

"Thank you Chief Toad. Now let's get down to business." I say as another zing of pain courses through my stomach. I had been doing my best to ignore Gobi, and he hadn't made any headway in his endeavors to escape, but he was still making my stomach hurt like hell.

"Houkou no Gobi is trying to get out huh?" Chief Toad says as he looks over at me.

"He's been acting weird most of the day." I grumble, glaring at my stomach.

"He's always been an emotional one. If you have a lot of feelings for whoever this guy is," Chief Toad nods his head in the direction of a fully transformed Gaara, "then Houkou will want to protect them. Wolves are funny like that."

I have no answer for that, I just stare ahead at the tanuki, hoping that Gaara hasn't completely lost himself yet.

"Let's get this guy." Kuro says, circling Shukaku as Chief Toad pulls out a dagger.

Both the summons charge at Shukaku. Kuro's gleaming white teeth sink into the Shukaku, ripping a mouthful of sand off. This only seems to anger the sand spirit. Chief Toad attacks with his dagger cleaving off an arm.

"This is interesting Chikako Kira, Uzumaki Naruto!" Gaara/Shukaku hollers crazily.

I watch in horror as Gaara's torso appears in the middle of Shukaku's forehead, his shock of red hair making him easy to pinpoint.

"To thank you for entertaining me until now, I'll show you the real power of the Sand Spirit." Gaara says, lifting his head up from its bowed position. His eyes are a pure white, no irises and no pupils, creating a more frightening look.

"Oh Gaara." I mutter, my heart beating frantically as I see the ugly results of being an outcast with no one to care for you. _Would I have ended up like you? If it hadn't been for Naruto, Takai, Kakkaku, Arakita-sensei… Would I be in the same boat as you? Loving only myself, fighting for only myself? _

I listen half heartedly as Chief Toad explains how Shukaku makes his host an insomniac. I knew all this from the research in the library. Instead I use this time to study the angel with broken wings in front of me, and tears for the lonely life he's lived fall down my cheeks, spattering Kuro's fur.

"Now is not the time to cry." The black wolf mutters, his yellow eyes looking up at me. I hastily wipe away my tears, sniffing and forcing myself to calm down.

"Playing Possum Jutsu." Gaara's low voice catches my attention and I watch as his eyes close, and he flops forward limply. I listen to my frantic heart beating in my chest, but over the noise my heart makes I can hear deep even breathing coming from Gaara.

"Shit." I mutter as Kuro leaps backwards, a snarl on his lips.

"I'm finally free!" Shukaku's high squeaky voice squeals, his delight evident as he stares down his opponents. Me and Kuro slightly behind and to the side of him, Naruto and Chief Toad in front. "Right away, the guy I wanna kill is you!" Shukaku squeals excitedly, pointing a clawed hand at Naruto and Chief Toad.

"He's not your only enemy!" I shout as Kuro rushes in, swiping Shukaku's flank with his white teeth, taking a chunk of the tanuki with him. He screeches, swiping at us with a clawed hand as we fly past, just barely avoiding injury.

Shukaku inhales and aims for Naruto and Chief Toad. A volley of air bullets is spewed from his mouth, and Chief Toad jumps high up in the air, firing his own water bullets back. I watch in horror as this deadly dance continues, ending in an explosion as one of Shukaku's air bullets makes contact with Naruto and the Chief.

"Yes! I killed it!" Shukaku screeches excitedly, and Kuro takes this chance to take another chunk out of Shukaku. He glares at us, his hand reaching out to catch us, but Kuro is able to jump away, just barely.

"That hurts! How dare you shoot me with bullets containing stupid amounts of chakra!" Chief Toad says, leaping out of the smoke, his face angry. "You have to wake up that Gaara kid, that will end the jutsu."

"How?" Naruto asks.

"Punch him." Kuro growls out, glaring at the sand demon. He then charges, grabbing Shukaku's back with his teeth, and pinning the tail under his body.

Chief Toad lands in front, webbed feet on Shukaku's shoulders, only to be shaken off before Naruto can get in a good blow. Kuro immediately lets go, bounding off several paces as he waits for Naruto and Chief to regroup.

"We have to transform into something with teeth and claws. I can't hold him with webbed feet. Ready? Here we go!" The Chief says, leaping towards Shukaku once more.

Kuro leaps forward as well, again pinning the Shukaku's tail and biting his back, Kuro's black claws digging into Shukaku's sides. Naruto looks frantic, and I know he's blanking.

"The Kyuubi!" I shout, and Naruto's face lights up.

"Henge!" I hear Naruto's voice, and then an orange clawed hand emerges from the smoke, latching on to Shukaku. Chief-turned-Kyuubi digs his claws into Shukaku, and he bites down hard, and between our summons we manage to hold down Shukaku.

"Now Naruto! Wake him up!" I shout, and Naruto leaps through the air, punching Gaara hard.

"That should have been more than enough to wake the kid up." Kuro growls, as he opens his jaws to release the part of Shukaku he had been biting down on.

Gaara glares at Naruto. "Sabakyuu." He growls, and sand starts slithering towards Naruto.

"Chief!" I shout, and the henge dissipates. He wraps his weird looking tongue around Naruto, protecting him from harm.

"Don't take me for a fool!" Gaara shouts, and Chief Toad removes his tongue. I can see the sand where Naruto is standing writhing, and Naruto glares up at Gaara. "I will kill you! I will not cease to exist." Gaara growls out, a look of loathing and superiority on his face.

I leave my place on Kuro's head, and land next to Naruto. "Gaara please." I say, tears in my eyes once more. He glares down at me.

"Crying for your friends will change nothing, I will kill you too." Gaara glares.

"I'm not crying for my Konoha friends… I'm crying for you." I say, swiping at a tear angrily.

Gaara's eyes widen in surprise, but then he goes back to glaring, his eyes drawn to the blonde beside me. I glance at Naruto, his hands clasped in concentration, before he pulls up the orange chakra from the Kyuubi. The force of the chakra blows off Naruto's headband, and forces his jacket open, and for once, I have to admit he looks pretty cool.

"Please, don't kill him." I whisper to Naruto, and he gives me a reassuring look.

"Don't worry Kira-chan, just leave it to me."

I offer him a sad smile as he stares determinedly at Gaara. "Here I come!" Naruto says, leaping through the air.

"Die!" Gaara yells, and his sand holds Naruto in the air, just inches away, his wrists bound by the sand.

Naruto roars at Gaara, and throws his forehead forward powerfully. I stare in stunned surprise, my eyes wide. Blood trickles down both their heads, and the Shukaku form starts to crack and fall apart.

"Well, I don't think you need me anymore." Kuro says, smiling at me before disappearing in a large puff of smoke, Chief Toad following soon after. I take this time to leap down from Shukaku's disintegrating head.

Naruto and Gaara land in trees across from each other, both panting, both glaring at the other, both with blood trickling down their faces. "I'm completely out of chakra. I bet you are too, aren't you?" Naruto asks between panting breaths. "We're similar… let's make this time the last!"

The both of them stand up, and I watch from my tree wanting to help, but I knew this was personal for Naruto, so I held back. They leap through the air, fists raised. Gaara throws his punch, just missing, while Naruto clocks him square in the jaw. The both of them land heavily on the ground, and I leap down from my tree, landing in the middle of them. "Thank you Naruto!" I say happily, giving Naruto a quick kiss on the cheek, before kneeling next to Gaara.

"You ok?" I murmur quietly. Gaara's eyes widen at me and then he looks at Naruto, who is trying to drag himself over to us with what little power he has left, determination on his face.

"D-Don't come any closer!" Gaara says, and I know he would have pushed me away had he had the strength to do so.

"The pain of being alone… is really unbearable, isn't it?" Naruto asks, sadness laced heavily in his voice.

"Naruto…" I say quietly, looking at him with nothing but respect.

"The way you feel… I don't know why, but I completely understand that it hurts. But I've met people who are very important to me now. I won't allow those important people to be hurt." Naruto says, his eyes shining with tears.

"As do I." I say quietly, causing Gaara to look up at me, his eyes still wide with shock. "If it hadn't been for Naruto, I would have been all alone too. We've been there for each other, and now I'm going to be there for you, whenever you need me." I smile at Gaara, but he is too stunned to reply.

"I will not stop, even if that means that I have to kill you." Naruto says, his eyes like slits as he glares at Gaara.

"Why? Why do you fight so much for other people?" Gaara asks.

I look at the red head with nothing but pity in my eyes. "Because," I begin.

"They saved us from the hell of being alone." Naruto finishes and I smile at him as I pull some antiseptic cloths out of my pouch. I tear the package open and begin cleaning the wound on Gaara's head. He winces, his eyes looking at me in shock again.

"They accepted me for who I was." Naruto finishes, as he pants on the ground, too tired to even manage wriggling forward.

"It's ok Naruto." I glance over at Sasuke who is kneeling on the ground next to Naruto, Takai and Kakkaku on either side of him. "The sand on Sakura dissolved ages ago."

"I see." Naruto says, finally able to pass out.

My attention is brought to Temari and Kankuro, who have appeared in front of me, both with shocked faces as they watch me clean Gaara's forehead. "Everyone deserves love." I say quietly as I mop the last of the blood up. "Even us monsters." I plant a soft kiss on Gaara's forehead, then stand, offering his siblings a small smile.

"Enough." Gaara says, and Temari and Kankuro look at him in surprise.

"All right." Kankuro says, putting Gaara's arm around his neck and helping him to stand. I walk over to Naruto and rip open a new antiseptic cloth, and begin tending to his wound as well. Gaara lifts his head, looking at us curiously, and then they're gone.

"Kira." I look up at Kakkaku, and I move over. He places a healing hand of green chakra over Naruto's forehead, and I lean heavily on Takai.

"Let's get you home." Takai says, and we leave the forest behind us.

* * *

**AN: How was that? An extra long chapter for you guys! Sorry I didn't update in so long. Please review and tell me your thoughts on the chapter! When is Kira going to see Gaara again? And what do you think will happen?**


	11. Carry Me Down

_"Will you carry me down the aisle that final day  
With your tears and cold hands shaking from the weight  
When you lower me down beneath that sky of gray  
Let the rain fall down and wash away your pain"_

**Chapter 11: Carry Me Down (Demon Hunter)**

It was later on, after Takai had brought me home and helped me wash because I was so drained emotionally, that there was a knock on my door. Arakita-sensei stood there, her face downcast and sad, unshed tears glistening in her dark brown eyes.

"Sensei?" I question, alarm making my tired body begin spiking adrenaline through my system.

"Oh, please don't get excited." Sensei says, unnaturally subdued. She puts a hand on my shoulder… and then came the blow. "Hokage-sama has died in battle. There will be a funeral tomorrow."

My eyes widen in shock. The Hokage was supposed to be the most powerful ninja in the village. "How…?"

"Orochimaru." Sensei's eyes fill with hate as she spits out his name.

"But… Orochimaru was Hokage-sama's student." I say, surprise still laced through my voice.

"Orochimaru teamed up with Suna to destroy Konoha."

"Then that means…" I trail off, thinking of a certain misguided red head. "No…" I mutter.

Sensei cocks her head, looking at me questioningly.

"It's nothing." I say quietly. "What time is the funeral?"

"Ten."

"Thank you Sensei." I say, turning my back and closing the door in her face. I flop into my armchair and stare blankly at the wall, my thoughts wandering over the Third Hokage and Minato, the only other Hokage I knew who had died to protect the village.

* * *

_I stand behind the yellow haired man's legs, peeking shyly at the old man who had just walked into the room. His eyes were kind, and were full of wisdom. He cocked his head to the side as he tried to look around the yellow haired man's legs at me. I buried my face into the back of the yellow haired man's legs, and he turned to smile at me._

_"Minato." The old man says, looking up at the yellow haired man._

_"Hello Sarutobi. This is the girl I saved." The yellow haired man turns and picks me up. I squirm in protest, but he has a firm grip on me so I resign myself to my fate and hide my face in his neck._

_"And you're sure about…?"_

_"Yes, I stopped the rampage." Minato says, smoothing my blonde hair down my back as he tries to reassure me. "I've already talked with Kushina, and she has agreed to her living with us."_

_"And what's her name?"_

_"Her mother called her Kira. I don't know her family name. We've been discussing giving her me or Kushina's family name." Minato says quietly._

_"I see." The old man named Sarutobi says, looking slightly disapproving. "I really think she should have a name separate from you. I don't want people to know of her connection to you. Imagine what she'll go through if people find out about the wolf? They'll try to get to her through you, or vice versa."_

_Minato sighs and adjusts me on his hip. "I know where you're coming from, and I'll respect that. Kushina and I will select a last name for her."_

_"Good." The old man steps forward and smiles at me as I peer at him between the blonde strands of my long slightly wavy hair. "Welcome to Konoha Kira."_

_I respond by hiding again in Minato's neck and both men chuckle at me._

_"Oh and one more thing Minato."_

_Minato looks up, curious._

_"Don't ever tell the Elders about this. If they ask, she is an ordinary orphan you adopted. Only yourself, me and select ANBU are to know of this. I don't want them using her as a tool or holding her back, and I'm sure you want the same."_

_"Of course." Minato says, nodding his head in affirmation._

_Several days later Minato was helping Kushina give me a bath. I hadn't spoken during the week I had been with them. I kept hoping that Mommy or Daddy would show up to take me home._

_I sat quietly in the tub as Minato and Kushina fussed over me. Kushina would kneel long enough to wash my hair and body, then Minato would rinse me clean. Kushina's tummy was big and very round. I wanted to touch it when I could see the baby moving around, but I was scared to ask. As soon as the suds were all rinsed off my body, Kushina would help me stand and then Minato would wrap me up in a big fluffy towel before picking me up and carrying me to the nursery they had already set up for the baby that was in Kushina's tummy._

_As Minato was drying me off, I turned my head at Kushina's sharp intake of breath. On her tummy was a perfect handprint, as if the baby was trying to push his way out. I pushed away from Minato and went to Kushina who looked down at me questioningly._

_"Shh, little baby." I whispered quietly, rubbing the spot where the baby's hand had been. Kushina and Minato were both looking at me now, and I looked between the two, scared that I had done something wrong._

_Kushina knelt down and wrapped me up in a big hug, then took my hand and placed it on her tummy once more, and I could feel the baby settling down. "You're a very sweet girl, Kira." She said as she kissed the top of my head._

_Minato stooped down and hugged me tight. "I think I've got the perfect last name for you. Chikako, because you are such a clever girl." Then Minato put me down and got me into my jammies._

_"You know what Kira?" I turned to Kushina, who was smiling at me. "I know you miss your real parents, but if you want, Minato and I can be your mom and dad, and when this baby is born, he can be your brother!"_

_A small smile tugged at my lips, and I hugged her legs. "You can be my mom and dad until my real ones get here." I whispered before beating a hasty retreat and climbing into bed._

_I woke up the next day to Minato bustling about my room and pulling out some clothes for me. A cute little pale blue floral dress that made my blue eyes seem bluer. After he helped me dress, he took my hand and led me into the kitchen, where Kushina was making breakfast. The smell was heavenly, and I climbed up into my chair, an actual smile on my face for the first time since coming here._

_"Kira, after breakfast, you and I are going to go see Sarutobi again." Minato says as Kushina puts a bowl of rice and some miso soup in front of me._

_"'K…" I mutter quietly as I dig in to my food._

_Kushina smiles at me and kisses my head._

_As soon as I'm done eating, Minato takes my hand, and we leave the house, walking the warm streets. Many people greet Minato, calling him Hokage-sama. I look up at him questioningly, but he is distracted by another passerby who wishes him a good morning._

_"H-Hokage-sama?" I whisper quietly, and I finally catch Minato's attention._

_"The Hokage is the leader of this village." Minato says, smiling at me._

_"Should I call you Hokage-sama?" I ask, fearful that he's going to tell me that I have to call him by his title._

_"No Kira. You call me dad."_

_I smile at him. "Ok… Dad." I whisper, quite happy on the inside._

_After a few more minutes of walking, we come up to a tower. I stop and look at it questioningly. Minato sees my curious gaze and answers my unasked question. "This is the Hokage's tower. When I go to work, this is where I go."_

_"You're going to work?" I ask. Today was the first day I had been curious about anything. And it had been a week since I had spoken at all. I think Minato was relieved that I was talking._

_"Just for a little bit. We have to see Sarutobi."_

_"Ok." I say, as Minato starts leading me towards the building once again._

_We climb the stairs and go to the topmost floor of the building. As we make our way into the office, I notice that the old man is already waiting for us. I hide behind Minato's legs again, peering around shyly._

_"Come on Kira." Minato whispers encouragingly, offering me his hand to take. I gently place my small hand in his and step out from behind him timidly._

_"Well you're a shy thing, aren't you?" The old man asks, kneeling down and offering me a hand. I stare at it nervously, and decide that it's too much. I bury my face in Minato's leg. Minato chuckles, and the old man stands back up._

_"So, you decided on a last name?"_

_"Yes, Kushina and I both like Chikako, because this little one has proven herself quite clever this past week."_

_"Chikako… Clever killer…" The old man, sighs and looks down at me, sadness in the depths of his eyes. "Why her parents would give her that name is beyond me…"_

_"I know, she's such a sweet girl for a name like that."_

_"Alright. I'll put this name on her adoption papers, and then after the Elder's sign them, she'll officially be your daughter." The old man says, his face lit up in a warm smile. "Sometimes Minato, I think your heart is too big."_

_"But, that's why I was made Hokage."_

_"That it is… that it is…" The old man chuckles._

I'm startled out of my reverie by the clock on my mantle, chiming six times. I sigh wearily and get to my feet, a sad smile on my face. I really missed Minato and Kushina, they were always so kind to me…

* * *

The next day was fitting, even the sky was crying for the Hokage. It seems like the entire village has turned out to pay their last respects, regardless of the downpour. My black ankle length dress clung to me wetly, making me uncomfortable and soggy. My blonde hair stuck to my neck and back, and the weight of it was making my neck tired. Tears dripped down my face, concealed by the falling rain.

I was sandwiched between Naruto and Takai, both wearing similar expressions of grief. A small rumble of thunder makes me flinch and Naruto puts a hand on my shoulder. I turn slightly to look at him, and as another small rumble breaks out, his fingers tighten reassuringly on my shoulder. I rub a cheek on his hand in thanks, then lean into him, taking solace from my friend. Kakkaku glances at me from the other side of Takai, traces of worry in his face. I try to give him a reassuring smile, and I think I succeed.

Hinata is standing next to him, her eyes downcast. Kakkaku puts an arm around her shoulders, and a small bit of happiness blooms in my chest at her blush, only to disappear moments later as my eyes turn forward once more.

"We will begin the memorial service for the Third Hokage, who lost his life in battle, as well as the other victims of this battle." One of the Elder's says, and my tears stream faster down my face.

People begin bringing up flowers and Konohamaru, who is standing in front of us, begins to cry. I put a hand on his shoulder and pull him into me, and he turns to cry into my dress. Soon it is our turn to bring up a flower, and as I stand in front of the grave, all I can do is stare at old man Hokage's picture, remembering how kind he was to me when Minato-san had brought me to the village. I glance at Naruto and see Minato in his face. I lay my white flower down, sighing internally, wishing I could tell Naruto that he is the son of the man who saved me from myself.

Naruto stands in front of the grave next, looking lost and forlorn dressed in black and clutching onto the stem of the white flower. As the last flower is placed, the rain trickles to a stop, and I gaze at the black clouds above me. They begin to clear, and a lone ray of sunshine falls on the fallen Hokage's picture.

* * *

The next day I corner Naruto as he is leaving the village, a green travelling pack on his back. I hoist my own black bag, a scroll from the Elders in my hand. "Naruto, Naruto! Wait up!" I shout, running to catch up.

"Nani?" Naruto asks, blinking at me in bewilderment.

I skid to a halt beside him, panting. I had just full on sprinted here to catch them in time. Jiraiya, standing a little ways off, raises his eyebrow at me. "I'm coming with you." I pant, holding the scroll I carry out to the white haired Sannin. He takes the scroll and opens it.

"So, depending on how well you act on this trip, the Elders will promote you to chunin huh?" Jiraiya says, looking me up and down. I had planned out this outfit carefully. I'd heard the stories about this particular Sannin. I had thigh high black wedge heeled boots and black low rise shorts that only exposed a little leg. My shirt is sleeveless, black, with purple lace trim around the edges that exposed just a little tummy. On my arms I wore matching black fingerless gloves that rose to mid bicep. This was definitely the most conservative I've dressed in a long time.

"Hai." I say, watching him warily as he looks me up and down. I didn't want to have to break his face.

"Ok then, let's go." Jiraiya says, walking off. Naruto and I follow.

It isn't long before I'm completely bored. Jiraiya is mostly quiet, his arms crossed as he leads us down the road. My thoughts kept turning back to Gaara, wondering how he was, if he had changed. I hoped our villages weren't going to stay enemies.

"Hey, hey, Ero-Sannin!" Naruto's voice has me perking up and looking at the blonde questioningly. "What kind of new jutsu are you going to teach me?"

I sweat drop at Naruto's tenacity, and glance at Jiraiya. "You keep calling me Ero-Sannin. So you have no idea how superb I am huh?" He says indignantly.

"Huh? A superb Ero-Sannin?" Naruto asks, looking confused.

I burst out into a fit of giggles, and both of them turn to look at me. Jiraiya is scowling, and Naruto still looks confused. "Naruto…" I can't stop my fit of giggles, and am soon clutching my stomach as it begins to ache from my laughter.

Jiraiya growls and storms off ahead of us. "Listen carefully!" He says, turning to face us once more. "Toad Sage is only a disguise." Jiraiya begins hopping sideways on one foot, and it's all I can do to hold in my laughter. "As a matter of fact, in the North, South, East and West I am known as… the white-maned toad charmer, and as a legendary Sannin whom celestial being can't defeat!"

I can't help it, I burst out laughing, while Naruto just looks at Jiraiya, unimpressed. Jiraiya scowls at me some more as I try to contain my laughing once again. "Jiraiya-sama, you're just as bad as Naruto!" I giggle.

"I am nothing like that little twerp!"

"If you say so!" I say, finally able to calm my laughter. I link arms with a still befuddled Naruto, and we continue on down the road.

We walk for awhile more in silence, and Naruto leaves me to go look at a road sign. "Hey, hey, Ero-Sannin!"

I roll my eyes, a smile on my face. _Here we go again! _I think to myself.

"My name is Jiraiya." He grumbles, giving Naruto a sour look.

"So the fact that such a strong Ero-Sannin like you is taking me along as his travel companion means that I'm potentially a genius right?" Naruto asks, his blue eyes wide with happiness and excitement.

"I already know that you're a genius Naruto." I say, ruffling his hair. He gives me a 'cut-it-out' look and runs his hand over his hair to smooth it out.

Jiraiya however, doesn't respond and Naruto takes this as encouragement. "Hey, why did you choose me?"

Jiraiya closes his eyes, his face tilted up as if asking 'lord-give-me-patience'. "A long time ago, the Fourth Hokage was my student. And you resemble the Fourth Hokage so much it's kinda funny. That's the only reason." Jiraiya begins walking off again, and I fall into step beside him.

Of course Naruto flips out at this news, running around and cheering. I sweat drop. "You just had to tell him he resembles one of the Kage…" I mutter, amused. "I'd have been surprised if he didn't grow up to resemble the Fourth Hokage, given the circumstances."

Jiraiya looks at me in shock, stopping abruptly in his tracks. "How do you know about that?" He asks, his voice low.

I stare at him, surprised. "Don't you remember when he brought me to the village?" I question. "I lived with the Fourth Hokage for a few months, until the Kyuubi attack."

Jiraiya's eyes light up in recognition then. "You were the little blond girl?" He asks.

"Yup!" I say happily, smiling.

Naruto's voice cuts in then, his eyes bright. "The fact that I resemble the Fourth Hokage means that I also possess genius of his level, right? I'll become the Hokage after all! All right!" Naruto twirls and leaps around, making me smile wider at his enthusiasm.

I glance at Jiraiya, a small, knowing smile on his lips, and we start forward again. We only make it a few steps before the sounds of Naruto freaking out has us looking at the orange clad blonde.

"EW! I stepped in dog poo!"

I burst out laughing again, tears of pleasure streaming down my face. "Next time don't go jumping and skipping around!" I laugh, making a point to give the offending squashed turds a wide berth.

Jiraiya sweat drops, and points at Naruto, clearly exasperated. "The only areas you resemble the Fourth Hokage in are your hair and your stubbornness."

"What was that? You're senile!" Naruto shouts, wiping his foot on the grass to try and purge it of crap. I smile and shake my head at the two. Jiraiya sighs, and we are off again.

At lunch time we stop at a shrine. I sit next to Jiraiya and pull out the onigiri I had made for myself. As I sit and munch hungrily, Naruto plays with the bells dangling off of the structure of the shrine. It soon became quite irritating, and I turn to glare at the blonde. He's in his own world however, and takes no notice.

"You'll be cursed if you keep doing that." Jiraiya states, taking a bite out of his lunch. I roll my eyes as right on cue, the bells come unattached and Naruto tumbles down the stairs, successfully tangling himself up.

"Naruto, why don't you come and eat?" I ask, patting the ground next to me.

"Put the bells back first." Jiraiya says.

Naruto gets up and fixes the bells, pouting the whole time. "Here, have some of my onigiri." I say, holding out a rice ball. Naruto takes it and eats half in one bite. "Er… You can just have the rest." I say, pushing the last two over to him.

"Thanks Kira-chan." Naruto smiles up at me and takes the box of onigiri out of my hands.

* * *

Once we reach our destination, Jiraiya makes a bee line for the nearest hotel and hot springs. As he gets the key from the person at the desk, a pretty lady with black hair stops outside. She looks seductively at Jiraiya and Naruto, and I swear the both of them get instant wood. I sigh and roll my eyes at her obvious ploy to flirt by tucking a strand of black hair behind her ear. This only serves to make both of my companions more excited.

"Baka!" I yell, punching the both of them over the head. "Don't fall for such obvious ploys!"

Jiraiya glares at me and shoves the key into Naruto's hand. "Go work on your chakra control." He says, before bounding off after the woman.

"This always happens to me!" Naruto seethes, glaring angrily at the key in his hand.

"Don't dwell on it. Besides, I can help you with your training." I say as we make our way to our room. Once inside I plop my bag at the end of one of the two beds, and kick off my boots.

"So, let's start by building chakra." I say, pulling Naruto down onto the floor next to me. I put my fingers together and relax, concentrating on feeling my chakra and bringing it up to pool into the palm of my hand. Naruto huffs grumpily and copies me.

"Does he even want to oversee my training?" Naruto gripes after a few minutes.

"You have to stop thinking so much or you're never going to be able to build up chakra easily." I say teasingly. Naruto however, continues to sulk.

After a couple hours, I'm about to put an end to the exercise when a knock at the door startles the both of us. "Who is that?" I wonder aloud, and Naruto shrugs.

"That woman probably said 'see ya'."

"Well, go see who it is." I say, motioning for him to get a move on.

Naruto stalks over to the door and opens it. "Who is it?" I ask after several seconds of silence. I turn towards the door, and immediately I open my water skin and let the water flow out. "Naruto, get away from the door." I command, my voice menacing.

He glances back at me, and slowly backs away. I glare at the two cloaked men standing in the door. I only recognized one of the two men however, Itachi.

"This kid doesn't look like the container of Kyuubi…" The blue guy says. He reminded me of a humanoid shark.

"Stay away from him." I hiss, the water wrapping around Naruto and dragging him behind me.

I call the water back to me and advance several steps forward, getting ready to charge lightning through my water.

Shark-Man stalks towards me, his hand on the handle of something that's like a sword wrapped in bandages, but this doesn't seem right. I eye the weapon wearily, and lash out with a water whip. It's blocked by Shark-Man's sword, and the water that touched the sword falls down uselessly.

_Damn, that thing eats chakra! _I glower at the weapon, wondering how I'm going to defeat him.

"Long time no see… Sasuke." Itachi pipes up, making Shark-Man stop and look over his shoulder.

"Uchiha Itachi." Sasuke growls, an evil glare in his eyes.

Naruto looks at Itachi, surprise all over his face. I can smell the fear radiating off him, and I glance behind me. "Be strong." I whisper, and Naruto gulps in response.

"Oh? He has the sharingan, and resembles you. Who is he?" Shark-Man asks, stowing his sword like thing and glancing at Itachi.

"He's my younger brother."

I think Naruto is about to pass out from the shock, and I go to put a steadying hand on his shoulder.

_I'm glad they don't know about me. If they did they would have made a comment already. _Gobi says, growling at the two from in his cage.

_They won't get me or Naruto. I will die fighting. _I growl.

_Just don't do anything to reveal yourself. _Gobi says wearily, before pointing out how thin my control on my anger is.

_Shut it! You're just making me angrier. _I yell at the wolf, who immediately hushes up.

The crackling of Sasuke's chidori has me looking up. His red eyes and deep glare make him look hell sent, and he runs for Itachi. "I will kill you!" He hollers, raising his lightning covered hand to deliver the blow.

Itachi easily deflects the hit, and when the smoke clears from half the wall being blown out, Itachi has Sasuke's wrist in a tight grip. Both brothers glare at the other, pure loathing in Sasuke's eyes.

"I've gotta do something…" Naruto mutters, drawing up the Kyuubi's chakra.

"Naruto, no!" I hiss, fear for the outcome racing through my own system. Right now, my body was urging me very strongly to flee. I knew there was no way we were going to be able to defeat these two at the levels we were currently at.

"You're in the way." Itachi says rather coldly, snapping Sasuke's wrist. He falls to the ground in pain, clutching his now useless wrist.

Naruto bites his thumb and starts making hand signs. Shark-Man flies into the room, checking me out of the way, his sword slicing through the bit of Kyuubi chakra Naruto had pulled up, effectively dispersing it. Naruto stares at the man dumb struck.

I growl angrily, my water lashing out to whip Shark-Man's cheek. He deflects it easily. I glare at him, biting my own thumb in the process. "Kuchiyose no jutsu!" I say, swiping the blood down my summoning tattoo.

"Would you look at that? This one doesn't need hand signs." Shark-Man says, giving me a sinister look. I glare back as Shiro jumps out in a puff of smoke, a snarl tearing past his lips. "And she summons wolves. A rare summon. Hey Itachi… Aren't the only ones who summon wolves the ones who are in line to have Gobi sealed away inside them?"

"That's not always the case." Itachi says boredly, glancing at Shiro. "I heard there's a whole clan in Iwa that can summon them."

"But there's always that 'what if?' right?" Shark-Man says, advancing on me. "I say we take her just in case…"

_Fuck! Gobi what do I do?_

_Don't panic first off. Itachi is right, the clan you come from in Iwa does summon wolves, but that's because your clan are the only ones compatible with my chakra._

_But they look smart enough to put two and two together! _I say, panicking anyways.

"Just leave it be. If she is the container of the five-tails we'll be back." Itachi says, staring at me emotionlessly. "Our mission is to get the Kyuubi only."

Shark-Man continues to glower at me, while Shiro growls deep in his chest. A puff of smoke distracts all of us, and Jiraiya appears, carrying the woman from earlier over his shoulder.

"You guys don't know anything about me do you? I do not fall victim to any woman's allurement, but rather my forte is winning a woman's affections! When you get to my level, women yelp in delight at my sex appeal!" Jiraiya says, striking his usual pose.

I sweat drop and glare at the white haired Sannin. "Yeah, ok." I mutter.

"You were totally excited by a lame tactic like a woman winking at you!" Naruto yells, pointing accusingly at Jiraiya. "You shouldn't be the one trying to act all suave and cool, Ero-Sannin!"

I found this very funny and true, however given the circumstances my face didn't even so much as twitch in the direction of a smile.

"Don't call me that in front of people…" Jiraiya says quietly.

"Be quiet!" Naruto shouts angrily. "More importantly these people aren't normal!"

"That's because they're S-ranked criminals." I say, sweat dropping once more. Honestly, didn't anybody ever look at a Bingo book?

Shark-Man giggles in a way I don't like. "You are, after all, one of the legendary Sannin. I didn't believe I'd be able to stop you so easily despite the fact that you're a huge womanizer."

"What!?" Naruto screams, looking from Shark-Man to Jiraiya and back again. "You know the true identity of the Ero-Sannin?"

"Naruto, just shut up already." I growl, bashing him over the head with my fist.

"Well no, that's not who I really am…" Jiraiya says and I repress the urge to bash him over the head too.

"Are you just going to stand there making pleasantries, or are you going to do something about this situation!?" I holler, aiming my best death glare at Jiraiya while brandishing a fist at him.

Jiraiya puts the unconscious woman down with her back against the wall, finally some seriousness in his face. "You shouldn't be calling yourself a man when you use those hypnotic eyes of yours to cast a Genjutsu on a woman to separate me and Naruto."

I let out a sigh. It seemed like he was going into ass kicking mode now.

"So, your target is Naruto after all." Jiraiya says, giving the two rogue ninja a pretty good stink eye.

_Don't say anything about me, don't say anything about me… _I whisper in my head like a mantra, worried he may actually spill the beans about me too.

Naruto gulps, his eyes widening as he stares at the two S-rank ninja across from him. Sasuke, from his position on the floor, flinches in surprise.

"I see. So that's how Kakashi knew about our mission. The information source was you. Capturing Naruto is the number one priority of our organization, the Akatsuki." Itachi says.

Naruto again flinches in surprise, and I put a shield of water around him to keep him from doing anything stupid. "You sit still." I hiss at him, my eyes flashing dangerously. "I promise that I'll protect you."

"K-Kira-chan." Naruto's eyes are wide as he looks at me.

"I can't let you have Naruto." Jiraiya states, his game face on.

"I'll stop you too." I growl at them, prompting Shiro to advance a few steps, his hackles raised as he growls deep in his chest.

"I wonder about that." Itachi says, eyeing me with his red Sharingan eyes.

"This is perfect, I'll get rid of you two right here." Jiraiya says determinedly.

"Don't butt in." Sasuke growls as he staggers to his feet.

"Don't _you _be stupid Sasuke." I say, glowering at my least favorite person in the world. "There's no way you can beat Itachi as you are now."

"Shut-up!" He yells, glaring at me. "The one that's going to kill him… is me!"

Itachi looks over his shoulder at Sasuke, his red eyes boring into his little brother. "Right now I have no interest in you." He says coldly.

"Don't mess with me!" Sasuke yells, clenching his hand into a fist and charging at Itachi who delivers a kick to Sasuke's middle, sending him flying through the air.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouts from behind my water before trying to run out from behind it. I make the water grab him by his ankle and drag him back.

"I will restrain you if you do that again." I whisper angrily, putting Naruto back behind my water shield.

"I told you not to butt in Naruto!" Sasuke yells angrily from his place on the floor, where he landed after being kicked. Sasuke staggers back to his feet, using the wall at his back as support. "I told you before… I've lived only for this day!" Sasuke glares at Itachi, his own Sharingan activated.

"Jiraiya you have to do something! Sasuke is a loose canon right now!" I say, glaring at the Sannin angrily.

Right then, Sasuke charges at Itachi, yelling his fool head off, his fist again raised for a punch. And just like before, he is easily blocked, then kneed in the face. Sasuke flies back through the air, his back slamming against the wall.

"Not yet… This is my battle." Sasuke hisses as he tries to get air back in his lungs.

"Fine." Itachi says emotionlessly, and Shark-Man stands in front of the door, facing Jiraiya, effectively blocking the both of us from helping Sasuke.

"You heard that didn't you?" Shark-Man says, undisguised glee in his voice. "This is their battle. Let's not bother interfering."

I can hear Itachi's fading footsteps as he travels down the hall.

"Fine then!" Sasuke's angry voice rings loud and clear, before I hear a thump and then Sasuke coughing. This is followed by several more thumps, the unmistakable sound of flesh beating flesh.

"He doesn't show any mercy." Shark-Man says unfeelingly as he watches Sasuke get beat within an inch of his life.

I glance at Naruto, who is shaking in fear and anger, his blue eyes like steel as he gazes at Shark-Man. I put a hand on his shoulder, and his shaking stops slightly, but his eyes still blaze angrily.

"You are weak." I hear Itachi's voice faintly as he speaks to Sasuke. "You are weak because you don't have enough hate."

It's silent for several seconds, and then a terrified scream tears its way past Sasuke's lips, and I wince from the shear force of the fear and anguish inside it.

"Haven't changed at all." Shark-Man says, glee in his voice. "Using Tsukiyomi on your little brother."

"Stop it already, jerk!" Naruto shouts, trying to charge forward again. He uses Kage Bunshin to slip past my water, before darting out into the hall.

"Naruto!" I shout, charging after him as Shark-Man begins chasing after Naruto too. We all three freeze in our tracks moments later as red spongy stuff begins growing on all facets of the hallway.

"Ninpou: Toad Mouth's Trap." Jiraiya says, as Sasuke begins sinking into the wall of red stuff. "How unfortunate, Itachi, Kisame. You guys are already inside my stomach."

I resist the strong urge to throw up as the red material binds Shark-Man's foot to the floor.

"I summoned the esophagus of the giant toad of the rock cave. You guys are wanted criminal anyways. I'll turn you guys into fodder for the stone toad." Jiraiya says, a triumphant smile on his face. "Kira, Naruto, you two stay still."

I force myself not to glare at Jiraiya for telling me to stay still. I knew I was useless in this fight. I resist the urge to puke again when Kisame starts trying to walk around, the squelching noise making my stomach roil.

"Kisame, come here." Itachi says, glaring over his shoulder at Jiraiya. Kisame breaks free, and starts running towards Itachi.

"It's no use. There hasn't been one person who's been able to escape from this." Jiraiya says confidently. The fleshy walls begin moving, charging after the two fleeing criminals.

An explosion type sound has the place shaking and I hurry forward, ignoring the bile that rises in my throat at the wet squelching noises my feet make as I run. Jiraiya passes me, running full out.

"Wait! Kira! Ero-Sannin!" I hear Naruto shout as the sound of his running footsteps meet my ears.

I skid to a halt, just managing to not slide into Jiraiya as he comes to a quick stop. I gaze in wonder at the hole in the wall, and the black flames dancing around the hole.

"What's the matter?" Naruto yells as he skids to a stop next to me, our shoulders bumping.

"They managed to escape your jutsu." I say scathingly, glaring at Jiraiya. He ignores me, staring in disbelief and anger at the black flames that lick up the wall.

"What is this fire? It's black…" Naruto says, stalking forward and getting within a few feet of it.

"Don't touch it!" I shout, running up to him, and pulling him back. "That fire doesn't stop burning until it's destroyed everything in its path." I say. "It even burns water." Naruto looks at me in surprise, and I force him back towards Jiraiya.

Jiraiya pulls out a scroll, and seals the black flames away. "You know this fire?" He asks me, as we begin walking back towards Sasuke.

"Yes. I studied the Uchiha's because I dislike Sasuke and I wanted to beat his ass, so I was looking into their jutsu. It's called Amaterasu, a black fire that is summoned by the Sharingan to burn everything in its path. There is no known way to put out these flames. Although sealing it away seemed to work." I say, nodding at the scroll in Jiraiya's hand.

Jiraiya nods his head as we head back towards Sasuke, Naruto running off ahead of us to check on his teammate. The esophagus melts away and Naruto catches Sasuke as he falls from the wall. I look at Sasuke with concern, his eyes were blank and unseeing.

"Sasuke needs medical attention." I say, turning to Jiraiya as a kunai whips past my head and lodges in the wall. I turn and see a figure running towards us before launching himself through the air.

"Dynamic Entry!"

"Gai?" Jiraiya asks as a foot meets his face, sending him flying.

"Are you really that stupid!" I yell, waving my hands around angrily. "How did you even get promoted to Jonin in the first place!" I cross my arms and glare at Gai, seething. "I hate Sasuke, but he needs medical attention, NOW!" I yell as Jiraiya gets to his feet.

"But… I thought… the Akatsuki?"

"They're already gone! Way to get here late! Now let's go!" I say, hoisting Sasuke up and putting him on Shiro's back. "Take him to Konoha, and make sure he gets medical attention right away." I say more gruffly than I mean to.

"Hai Kira." Shiro says before bounding away, running full tilt towards the LeafVillage.

"That boy has been mentally beaten. He's going to need the skills of someone much more advanced. We need to find Tsunade Hime." Jiraiya says.

* * *

**Meanwhile…**

"Sir, it appears Konoha may be in possession of a second and third Jinchuriki." Kisame says, looking at the image of a holographic man.

"Oh? This is indeed some good news. Tell me who they are."

"One was a blonde girl accompanying one of the Sannin known as Jiraiya as well as the known Jinchuriki Naruto. He called her Kira, but did not use a surname. The other is a brunette we met while in Konoha. She had the eyes of a cat, and we suspect she could have the Nekomata. We were unable to get her name."

"I see. And what makes you think this Kira person is a Jinchuriki? Did she have any identifiers?"

"There were no physical traits, however, her summons are wolves, which leads us to believe she is host to Gobi."

"This evidence on Kira is purely circumstantial. There's an entire clan in Iwa that can summon wolves. Perhaps she came from there?"

"We will look into it." Kisame says.

"See that you do." The holograph dissipates, and Kisame turns towards Itachi.

"Let's go do some research."

* * *

**AN: So… A little bit more of a background on Kira when she came to the village. Also, the Akatsuki have sniffed out Takai and possibly Kira… What are their fates? Leave me a review and let me know what you think!**


	12. Firework

_"Do you know that there's still a chance for you  
'Cause there's a spark in you  
You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine  
Just own the night like the 4th of July"_

**Chapter 12: Firework (Katy Perry)**

Jiraiya, Naruto and I were walking down the road again, although this time there was a notable difference; Naruto was subdued, and seemed to be lost in thought. I put a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him, causing him to pause and look at me.

"What's wrong?" Jiraiya asks, turning to look at the pair of us.

"Why are they after me?" Naruto asks, his blue eyes downcast. Jiraiya looks at Naruto, and I could clearly see the confliction on his face. "You know don't you?" Naruto says, a small note of accusation in his voice.

"It's not you they want." I cut in, sparing Jiraiya from having to answer. "You and I are the same, however, they don't know for sure about me. That's why they only targeted you. What they're after are the bijuu. They want the Kyuubi, and they want Gobi. Takai is in danger too because of the Nekomata. Don't ask me why they're after the bijuu, because I have no clue."

"I can't say why either. But the power that is inside of you, they want that power under their control." Jiraiya says, glancing between the two of us.

"So we have to be careful, and we have to lie low, and guard this secret." I finish, smiling at Naruto. "Only a handful of people in the whole shinobi world know of me and Gobi, and that precious few are Kakashi, Jiraiya, Arakita-Sensei, Takai, Kakkaku… and the Third…" I trail off as sadness sweeps over me.

"How is it that no one knows of you and everyone knows of me and Takai?" Naruto asks, anger in his eyes.

I sigh and roll my eyes heavenward, steeling myself momentarily. "When I was brought to the village by the Fourth Hokage, very few were alerted to the presence inside me so I could have a normal life. Back when I was in Iwa… I was treated much like you were, so I understand your pain." I start walking again, and Naruto follows too.

"Why were you even brought here in the first place?"

"It's painful to remember…" I sigh as Naruto looks at me expectantly. "During the last war, my Village was attacked by the Leaf. However I was tortured as I was escaping by another village's shinobi. I didn't know who Gobi was at the time, and he told me to give him the power to take over. Naturally, as a four year old, I did what I thought would save me.

"Gobi went on a rampage, and started mindlessly killing anyone in his path, or so I was told. I have no recollection of what happened after I surrendered myself to Gobi. I remember part of a conversation between the Third and Fourth Hokages, when I was first brought to the village. The Fourth told the Third that he had stopped the rampage. It was later that I found out he was talking about me… Later on the Third told the Fourth he wanted to keep me a secret from the village, because he didn't want the Elders to use me as a tool. So I have remained a secret. You however are public knowledge because the Kyuubi attacked the village, and the Fourth sealed him away inside of you, dying in the process. Takai on the other hand had been a prisoner of war and it was leaked through the Intel department about what she had sealed away inside her. It's hard to keep that sort of thing under wraps." I pause in my story, and Naruto looks angry and sad.

"Don't hate the Fourth Hokage Naruto. His wishes were for you to be seen by the villagers as a hero." Jiraiya says, glancing back at us.

"But they don't." Naruto says angrily, crossing his arms.

"No, they don't. So, you'll just have to get stronger and prove yourself to them." I say, smiling at Naruto once again.

His anger thaws as he thinks about getting stronger. "Then I will get stronger, so I can protect myself and the village… as Hokage!"

"There's the Naruto I know and love!" I giggle, playfully punching his shoulder. "Now enough with this heavy stuff. Let's find Tsunade-sama and bring her back to the village!"

* * *

Finding Tsunade turned out to be quite a chore. We went from town to town, and no one had seen her for quite some time. We stopped at a traveling festival, and Naruto was brimming with excitement. I have to admit, I was excited too. I'd never been to a festival before. After a fight between Jiraiya and Naruto over who was going to hold onto Naruto's wallet, Naruto and I split from Jiraiya, going to all the different stands.

"Oh, let's play this game!" I say happily, dragging Naruto over to a game where you have to try to catch a fish with a paper net.

Naruto quickly burns through a ton of paper nets, failing to catch even one fish. I study the game closely, then shove Naruto over. "I'd like a try." I say, holding out the ryo required to play the game. The man gleefully takes my money and hands me a paper net. I study the net, then watch the fish as they swim around. Finally I spot the fish I was looking for: a small fish that swam slowly towards the top of the tank. I scoop the paper net in quickly and pull the fish out. Much to my delight it doesn't flop around and the paper net holds. The game keeper gives me a scathing look, but hands over my prize, a fish plushie. "Thanks!" I say, smiling sweetly, before dragging Naruto off again.

After a few hours of festival sight seeing, Naruto and I get bored, and wander off to find Jiraiya. Naruto stops to buy some grilled squid for the three of us, and I thank him as I nibble on my prize. We walk for a few minutes when we hear the unmistakable laughter of the last member of our traveling team. Naruto walks into the building ahead of me, and quite suddenly, Naruto is yelling his fool head off.

"You bastard!"

I chuckle and walk into the tent right as two scantily clad woman rush out of the building. Jiraiya is sitting on a couch, his cheeks flushed from drink, and Naruto's once fat wallet looks sad with not one ryo left.

"W-Wait, Naruto!" Jiraiya says, putting his hands out to defend himself as Naruto stands on the table.

"No, I will not wait!" Naruto says, beginning to beat on Jiraiya's head with the grilled squid he had bought. "You used all my hard earned money! Take this and this and this!"

I giggle at the pair of them as I continue nibbling on my own squid.

"Will you get him off of me?" Jiraiya tries to plead with me in between assaults from Naruto.

"You made your bed… Now lay in it." I giggle, before I'm rudely pushed aside as two men enter. I glare at them, and Naruto loses one of his grilled squids, which has the misfortune to land on one of the guy's suits. This starts a fight, resulting in Jiraiya using a jutsu I'd never seen before. It looked pretty damned cool. The two men surrender, and Jiraiya smiles cockily.

"Ready for some training Naruto, Kira?" He asks, raising an eyebrow at us.

"Yes!" Naruto shouts, punching the air as Jiraiya leads us to a little knoll overlooking the festival. Once there, he plops a bag full of water balloons on the ground.

"Here, have a water balloon." Jiraiya says, tossing one to both me and Naruto. I look at the balloon quizzically, then look at Jiraiya.

"Huh? What's this for?" Naruto asks, shaking the balloon around.

"You saw the Jutsu I just used, right?"

"Of course we saw it." I say, giving him my do-you-think-I'm-stupid look.

"What kind of Jutsu did it look like to you?"

"Well, you made that guy spin." Naruto says, and I sweat drop.

"It was a Jutsu in which you pulled up your chakra into a visible form and forced it to spin violently in the shape of a sphere." I say matter-of-factly. Naruto gives me his classic 'duh' look, and I sigh and roll my eyes.

"But both of you noticed the spinning." Jiraiya says, and I suspect that this is to make Naruto feel like he's smart. The water balloon begins making grotesque shapes in Jiraiya's hand before popping. Naruto looks on with surprise on his face.

"The tree climbing exercise where you learned to gather and maintain chakra in necessary places, and the walking on water exercise where you learned how to release a set amount of chakra… You both learned these right?"

"Yes, Sensei taught me awhile ago." I say.

"In this exercise you'll learn how to create a stream of chakra." Jiraiya says, and I look at my water balloon with determination. "First you have to gather and maintain chakra like in the tree climbing technique and then you must continuously release chakra like the walking on water technique."

"So you spin the water round and round until the balloon breaks!" Naruto says happily.

"You're catching on fast!" Jiraiya says and smiles at Naruto. "You two will train until evening."

"The water's spinning!" Naruto says, holding up his balloon for Jiraiya to see. "It looks like I'll break this balloon in no time!"

"Then I'm going to sit here and rest." Jiraiya says, sitting with his back against a tree.

* * *

Naruto and I train well into the evening, but neither of us manage to pop our balloons. "What the hell!" I yell, exasperated, throwing my water balloon at Jiraiya. It explodes on him and he splutters awake. "Why the fuck won't these damn balloons pop?" I growl, seething at my inability to pop the balloon. Typically after a day of training I'd get _something _down or make _some _progress, but this was just ridiculous.

Jiraiya glares at me, shaking himself off before standing. "All right. I get it. Normally it's something found out through trial and error, but I guess I can tell you a little bit."

Naruto looks at Jiraiya excitedly. "Yeah, what's the trick?"

"Naruto, try rotating the water."

"Ok!" Naruto holds the balloon in front of his face and begins rotating the water in the balloon. As I watch something in my brain clicks, something that hadn't clicked when I was doing my own training.

I hastily grab another balloon, and instead of making all of the chakra spin uniformly like I had been doing, I try and make it spin crazily in different directions. After a few moments I am rewarded with a 'pop' before being drenched in water droplets. "WOOT! Jiraiya did you see that!?" I ask excitedly, bouncing around.

He smiles at me before explaining what happened for Naruto's benefit. "I'm going into town, what are you guys going to do?"

"I'm going to try and pop some more balloons!" I say, picking another one out of the bag.

"I'm going to train more too." Naruto says.

"Don't stay out too late." Jiraiya says, before walking out of sight.

"Kira-chan, how'd you pop your balloon?" Naruto asks as I begin spinning the water in the balloon again. It pops almost instantly.

"When you spin your chakra you have to make it spin a bunch of different ways at once, rather than around in the same direction." I answer, pulling another balloon out. "When you spin the water in the balloon, the balloon doesn't jerk around or warp, it kinda rolls softly around your palm. That's where you're going wrong." I say as I pop my third balloon.

Naruto looks at the balloon in thought and tries again, but the balloon doesn't do anything more than roll around in his palm.

"Don't worry, you'll get it." I say, as I reach for another balloon.

* * *

Four days later Naruto still hadn't popped his balloon, and I was taking my chance to sleep in. I'm startled awake by a loud 'pop' before water droplets rain down on my face. My eyes snap open and I leap up, a kunai drawn. When I see it's only Naruto I sink back down to the floor. "You got me wet." I complain, crossing my arms grumpily.

Jiraiya sits up too. "So, you've got it figured out have you? Show me."

Naruto grabs another water balloon, this time putting it in his left hand rather than his right. He spins the chakra in his right hand, and hits the balloon repeatedly in different spots, causing the water to spin crazily before bursting forth from the balloon. "Did you see that!?" Naruto shouts excitedly, before glaring at Jiraiya, who was nodding off.

I throw a pillow at the Sannin, making him startle awake. "Get up you big oaf." I say, standing up and gathering the clothes I was going to need. I march off towards the bathroom, and when I'm done getting dressed, I meet the two downstairs for breakfast.

"You understood the trick pretty well. It's all thanks to me though." Jiraiya says, nodding his head.

"You liar!" I shout, pointing at Jiraiya accusingly. "I told him the trick to it!"

"Actually… It was thanks to this guy." Naruto says, stooping over and picking up a cat.

"What!?" I shout as my jaw hits the floor.

"Well he was playing with one of the water balloons and it popped, which gave me the idea." Naruto says, smiling and huggling the cat. "I couldn't get the chakra to spin in all different directions with just one hand. Watching the cat bat the balloon back and forth gave me the inspiration to use my other hand to help disturb the flow of chakra."

"Well the first step is complete for now." Jiraiya says

"All right!" Naruto shouts, tossing the cat in the air. "Want to see it one more time?"

"Let's just head over to our training area." Jiraiya says, and we follow him out. As soon as we reach the spot we had been using for training, Jiraiya tosses us each a white rubber ball.

"Huh? A ball?" Naruto asks. "Not again…" He gripes.

"Now you'll pop this ball." Jiraiya says, easily popping his own ball.

I sigh and glare at my ball. "Any chance on getting a tip right away?" I ask hopefully as Naruto tries to pop the ball with the technique he used for the water balloon.

"It's much harder…" Naruto says, scowling at the ball.

"The first step is rotation, the second step is force. Since there is no water inside it's much more difficult to imagine the chakra rotating inside the ball, thus making it harder to rotate the chakra as well." Jiraiya says, hands on hips.

"So it's going to be much harder…" Naruto says, looking sulky.

"I'll leave that for you to decide." Jiraiya says.

I concentrate on my chakra and I try and _feel _it in my hand. The ball spikes around slightly, but then stops and stills innocently in my hand. I glare at it. If it had been a water balloon it would have popped…

"Well then, I'm going to go gather more information." Jiraiya says cheerily as he begins walking away.

"Douche bag…" I mutter as I try again to pop the ball. I get the same result as last time.

A couple of days pass, and by now I was starting to feel the wear and tear in my chakra pathways, and Naruto was downright suffering. He could barely even hold the ball anymore. I sigh and throw down my white ball angrily and flop to the ground, my arms crossed and feet splayed out. I felt like we were doing more training than searching for Tsunade, and finding her was supposed to be my last mission before being made chunin. The free training was great, but Jiraiya was just an old horn dog that slobbered over women all day.

Naruto sits beside me, dropping his own ball to the ground. "Damn it! How long are we going to be doing the same thing?" He gripes.

"Tell me about it. I'm usually good at this sort of training, but this jutsu downright sucks. I think it's even worse than my water jutsu." I say grumpily. We sit in silence for a few minutes, before we are interrupted.

"Hey Naruto, Kira."

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asks grumpily while I glare at the Sannin.

"I want you guys to go down and buy some food from town."

"What?" I ask, trying very hard not to shout.

"You guys are learning that jutsu from me." Jiraiya says, arms crossed and looking superior.

"Now you listen here, Ero-Sannin!" I shout, pointing my finger at him. "I'm only with you because finding Tsunade so she can come to the village and take up her duties is what's riding on me becoming chunin. There are a hundred other things I'd rather be doing right now than looking for some old hag who has terrible luck gambling!" I pant heavily at the end of my tirade, having said most of that in one breath.

"And what would those 'one hundred other things you'd rather be doing' be?" Jiraiya asks, brow raised.

"Uh…" _Well for starters I'd like to be in Suna so I can see Gaara… _I blush a deep red and scratch the back of my head. "It's none of your business…" I mutter, turning away to hide my blushing cheeks.

"Then you can go get food from in town."

I glare at Jiraiya, uncross my arms, and drag Naruto down into the town, while listening to Gobi chuckle at me. For him, he had been unnaturally quiet lately.

I head straight for a dumplings shop, and we order a heap of the things. As we're walking through the market, a little boy and his dad grab Naruto's attention. He stares at them with longing as they share a pop. I put a hand on his shoulder, and he looks up at me with sadness in his eyes. I pat his shoulder, and then start walking back to the training area.

We eat in silence for a while before Naruto speaks up. "Hey… Can you be around for our training, for at least a little while?" The sadness from before is still in his voice, and I look at Naruto with pity. What he'll do to me when he finds out I'm his adopted sister… I don't know whether he'll be happy, or hate me.

"I don't have time for that. I have to immediately go into town." Jiraiya says, taking another bite out of his dumpling. "Unless you think for yourselves or get a grip on it yourselves, it'll never work. I told you this three weeks ago. Don't be spoiled like a brat, act like a ninja."

I glare at him, and I see Naruto's bottom lip tremble slightly before he breaks out into fake laughter, a fake smile plastered on his face. "I knew all that, just thought I'd ask. Hurry up and eat so you can go, Ero-Sannin!"

I sigh and finish my dumpling just as Jiraiya gets up to leave. I glare at him once more and pointedly turn my back on him. "Are you almost done Naruto?" I ask, walking over to him.

"Yeah…" He says, watching Jiraiya leave sadly.

That night we both have a breakthrough, and we both manage to make a hole in our rubber balls. I sigh and flop down.

"Woohoo! We did it!" Naruto cheers, looking at me happily.

"Not quite…" I say, and watch as Naruto's face falls.

"What do you mean?"

"When Jiraiya popped his ball, it exploded. We just made tiny holes in the sides of the balls." I say as I lean my back against a tree.

"Well, it seems like you've made some progress." Jiraiya says as he walks over.

"It's only a hole." Naruto says, trying to dumb down how happy he feels.

"Don't pretend to be so tough. Here." Jiraiya holds out half of a blue pop, one for Naruto, and one for him. "You did that all on your own power." I smile at the two, and feeling like I'm interrupting a moment, I make a quiet retreat.

* * *

When I make my way back a few hours later Naruto is again by himself, but there are many flat balls littering the ground. "Naruto? You popped all these balls?" I ask, looking around in amazement.

"Yeah! Ero-Sannin drew this little dot on my hand and told me to focus my chakra on that point when I try to pop the ball! It works well, but I think there's still a trick to it that he didn't tell me…" Naruto says, trailing off at the end.

"Draw it on my hand!" I say, holding my left hand out for him palm up. He digs around in his pocket and comes up with a pen, drawing the swirling pattern on my own hand.

"There you go!"

"Thanks Naruto!" I say, beaming at the blonde before pulling another rubber ball out of the bag. I concentrate all my chakra on that one spot and… just get a little pin hole. "I think you're right." I mutter, pulling another ball out of the bag.

The days tick away, and Naruto and I have yet to figure out how to make the ball actually pop. I sit down to rest, while Naruto keeps going at it, and again as I'm watching Naruto inspiration hits. I grab another ball out of the bag and store chakra in that one little spot I can picture on my palm. I tighten my fingers around the ball and release the chakra I built up all at once while swirling it crazily. And finally, with a mighty 'pop' the ball disintegrates in my hand.

Naruto turns to look at me dumbstruck. "How did you…?"

"You have to store chakra and release it and swirl it all at once." I say, picking up another ball. I again store my chakra in that one point on my hand and release it, forcing it to spin at the same time. Another loud 'pop' echoes through the clearing and I punch the air in happiness at my success. "Now you try Naruto."

Naruto grabs up a ball and attempts the same thing as me, but again just a little pin hole appears in the side of the ball. Naruto tosses it to the ground in frustration. "I'm never going to get this." He pouts.

"Don't say that! I know you can do it! You mastered Kage Bunshin and a simple Bunshin used to be your worst jutsu!" I say, trying to encourage him.

He takes another ball, and closes his eyes, going into deep concentration. After a few moments his eyes fly open and he uses his other palm like in the water balloon exercises, and finally it pops, sending him flying. I watch as he tumbles across the ground, and is stopped by Jiraiya.

"It popped." Naruto says happily, looking over his shoulder.

"It seems the second step is complete."

"What's the third step?" Naruto asks excitedly.

"That'll come later." Jiraiya says, as I approach the two and offer Naruto my hand. He grabs it and I help him up. "We need to go meet Tsunade."

"Finally!" I shout, punching my fist in the air again. "I just want to get my mission done!"

"Keep your pants on. Besides, you won't make chunin unless I recommend it." Jiraiya says tauntingly.

"You better recommend it." I hiss, eyes flashing. "Or I'll have Gobi haunt you."

"What's that guy going to do to me?"

_Gobi?_

_One moment. _Gobi says gleefully as I feel him walk out of my mind.

"What the hell!" Jiraiya asks, looking at me in astonishment.

"Stick that in your pipe and smoke it!" I say, hands on my hips as I sashay back towards the town, eager to get my stuff from our room.

As soon as we're on the road again, Naruto starts badgering Jiraiya about the next step in the training. "I've only done two steps of the training! Tell me what the final step is!"

I roll my eyes at the blonde, and smile to myself. It looked like Naruto was back to his old annoying ways.

Jiraiya chuckles at Naruto. "You can do the third step while we're walking." He says as he takes out a balloon and blows it up.

"Really!?" Naruto asks excitedly and I chuckle as Jiraiya tosses each of us a regular balloon. I almost miss mine, but swirl my water out of my water skin and catch it before it hits the ground. I take it gingerly from my water and direct it back into its home.

"The first step was spin, the second step was power, and finally we are on the third step, which is this." Jiraiya holds his own balloon up in his hand for several seconds, but nothing happens. I look at the old man questioningly, while Naruto scowls at him.

"Nothing's happening." I say, scratching my head as I study the balloon.

Jiraiya chuckles while Naruto glares. "It only looks like nothing is happening, but if I do the same thing in my left hand…" Jiraiya holds out his unoccupied left hand and I watch as the spinning blue ball of chakra appears. The surface of the sphere is smooth, but inside I can see the chakra swirling angrily in all sorts of directions.

"It looks like a small typhoon…" Naruto says, staring in awe.

"So that's what's really happening in the balloon." I say, stepping closer and peering at the swirling ball of chakra. I glance at my balloon and give it a try. It pops almost immediately, and I sulk. Jiraiya hands me his balloon, and I take it before going back to stand with Naruto.

"In the third step you have to use one hundred percent of what you learned and maintain them. You have to keep spin and power at their max, and imagine creating a single layer within the balloon and compressing the chakra within it."

"I got it! Then this training is about keeping the spin and power I did in the second step while trying not to pop a delicate balloon!" Naruto says excitedly, punching the air.

"Very perceptive." Jiraiya says, looking at Naruto with pride.

Naruto looks smug for a moment before cocking his head to the side quizzically. "But what's the point of going through all the trouble?" He asks.

"Yeah, why can't I just use what I've already learned?" I ask.

Jiraiya smirks at us. "Watch closely." He says as he walks over to a tree. "This is how it is up until the second step of training." Jiraiya gathers chakra in his hand, then slams it against the tree. A perfect spiral appears there that's maybe two inches deep. "Now this is what happens when you complete the third step." Again he gathers the chakra in his hand and slams it into the tree. The chakra slices through the tree like butter, leaving a gaping hole halfway through the trunk.

My jaw drops to the ground. "That's awesome!" I exclaim, holding up my balloon, again trying to restrain the chakra in my hand so it stays in a sphere. Again my balloon pops loudly, and I glare at the rubber tatters that litter the ground.

"The trick is keeping it the same size as your palm so that force isn't dispersed, taking this jutsu to max power." Jiraiya says, looking smug.

Naruto closes his eyes in concentration and after a few seconds his eyes fly open. He does his little palm trick before placing his free hand over the balloon, trying desperately to maintain the power. He does it for a few long seconds before the power gets away from him and the balloon pops.

"There is no cutting corners." Jiraiya says sternly, giving us each a good hard look. "You've got to put out one hundred percent spin and power and maintain it. Well, now I'm done explaining so you two can continue while we walk." He blows up another balloon and hands it to me before trotting off.

* * *

I spend the few hours it takes to get to the village where Tsunade is trying _not _to pop my balloons, but I pop each one. The longest I maintain my power for is seven seconds, and as we get to the gates I'm tired and cranky. Gobi's insistent nitpicking on my technique has not helped my mood any either.

"Tsunade is impatient and short tempered." Jiraiya says, looking down into the village.

Naruto's balloon pops with such force he is knocked to the ground, which lightens my mood, but only slightly.

"Naruto, this isn't the time to be falling on the ground." Jiraiya says. "If we don't hurry, who knows where that shrew will disappear to?"

"Hey! Don't talk to your apprentice like that!" Naruto shouts, pointing at Jiraiya.

"Would the both of you just shut up and get a move on!?" I yell, glaring at the both of them. "I just want to find Tsunade and get out of here!"

"Both of _you_ shut up!" Jiraiya says, glaring at the both of us. "This is about Tsunade, not either of you."

"Um hello!? It is about me! My promotion to chunin rides on finding her, remember!?" I shout, the water in my water skin sloshing around angrily as my anger kicks in.

Jiraiya just glares at me before stalking off into the village, leaving me seething next to Naruto.

"Well, what the heck!" Naruto says, watching Jiraiya's retreating back. He takes out a balloon and blows it up, handing it to me, before blowing up one for himself. He glances at my angry face once, and then trots off. I glare at the both of them for a minute, seriously considering just going home, but the temptation of a promotion is too much, so I storm ahead, catching up to Naruto easily.

As we walk the streets, Jiraiya goes into each gambling house inquiring about Tsunade, while I hang out outside and try to keep my balloon from popping. Each time I am able to control it for only a few short seconds before the balloon pops. Soon we have run out of gambling houses to check, and we wander down streets as if Jiraiya hopes we'll just walk into her. I highly suspect that she has moved on however.

"Isn't there supposed to be a castle around here?" Naruto asks, distracting me momentarily from my training. I look around and see no castle, so I look up at Jiraiya questioningly.

"Yes…" Jiraiya says, trailing off thoughtfully. He motions for us to follow him and I pop my balloon before following him up to the roof tops where we jump nimbly from building to building.

We stop at the sight that greets us. The castle is collapsed on itself and leaning terribly to one side. "What the hell happened here?" I ask, looking around. Nothing else seemed to be damaged.

"Help! We have to get out of here!" The shouts of some villagers draw our attention as a group of five or six run by us.

"Excuse me there, Mister! Wait just a moment!" Jiraiya says, catching the attention of one of the villagers who slows to a stop, looking behind himself in terror. "What in the world is happening?"

"You should run too!" The man exclaims. "There's a monster up there!"

"A monster?" Naruto and I ask in unison.

"What is this monster thing?" Jiraiya asks, an eyebrow raised.

"It's a gigantic snake! It destroyed the castle in a flash!" The man says before running off.

"Orochimaru." I state, glaring in the direction of the castle.

"Let's go." Jiraiya says, and we run hurriedly towards the castle over the rooftops.

* * *

**AN: Why do I feel like this is a boring chapter? Oh well… So I know a lot of you guys are reading for fluff, and I've had a couple requests for fluff. Rest assured you'll get it; it'll just be a few chapters. Kira's gotta be promoted first. Also, is it a bad thing that I'm having Kira learn Rasengan, or is it a good thing? I don't want to make her too powerful, and I think I am… Please let me know. I'd like some critique please!**


	13. Conflict

_"I'm a labeled enemy  
I am your mortal enemy  
My actions, enemy  
Make me your bitter enemy"_

**Chapter 13: Conflict (Disturbed)**

We finally make it to the ruined castle. Rubble litters the street, and everything seems abandoned. I poke around in the dust, but I can't find any traces of Tsunade or Orochimaru. I look up at Jiraiya, who has his hands on his hips as he surveys the scene.

"Let's go. They've already gone." Jiraiya says as he leaps off. I grab Naruto's sleeve and jump off. He follows at my side, watching Jiraiya's back thoughtfully.

"Do you think Tsunade will hang around?" He asks me, his blue eyes wide.

"I'm not sure… But I hope so." I say. "I want to go back to Konoha so I can be promoted to chunin. As long as she is here, and we convince her to go back, I can go home and start my first mission."

"Do you know what it is?"

"Yes, a little." I say, picking up my pace slightly as Jiraiya starts to pull ahead. "I know that I will be leading a small team to Suna as Konoha's ambassador…" I trail off as I think of a certain red head. "And I will be going back and forth between our two villages as we forge a new alliance. My job is to help keep the peace and offer my insight into how to better the relationship between our two villages. I'm not so sure how long this mission will last though."

"Be quiet, the both of you." Jiraiya hisses at us over his shoulder. I immediately zip my lip, pantomiming the action, and Naruto restrains a chuckle.

We search around for Tsunade the rest of the day, and we stop at a pub for a bite to eat when Naruto's stomach growls loudly in hunger. We enter the pub, Naruto complaining because he isn't old enough to drink, and a funny look comes over Jiraiya's face as he stares at a corner booth. I follow his gaze to a couple of young looking women, one blonde and one with raven locks. I immediately glare at the old pervert.

"Jiraiya! What are you doing here?" The blonde woman asks, standing up to peer at us over the booth.

"Don't tell me that she is Tsunade…" I mumble, my eyes immediately honing onto her huge chest. _Is that even natural? _I ask myself as I look back up to her face.

_Probably not. _Gobi chuckles, eyeing the blonde woman's boobs and cackling.

_You pervert… _I mutter, crossing my arms and stalking over to the table the two women are at.

"Are you Tsunade?" I ask, putting my hands on the table and leaning into her face.

"And who might you be?" The blonde woman replies, arching a finely plucked eyebrow at me.

"Chikako Kira, sent on a mission to find you and bring you back to Konoha." I reply, standing up straight and proud.

"I see. And you are travelling with Jiraiya then?"

"Yes ma'am, on the council's orders." I say proudly. By now Jiraiya and Naruto have also walked over to the table, and both are sliding into the booth. I slide in next to them and cross my legs under the table.

Tsunade sighs and introduces us to the black haired girl sitting next to her. Shizune is her name, and she was kind of pretty. I smiled at her, and she offered me a small smile in return. "Chikako Kira…" Shizune mutters, her eyes travelling up and down what she can see of me. "You're quite small." She observes.

"Yes, I am short, but I'm also very powerful." I say, a smile tugging at my lips. Shizune and Tsunade both frown at me. "I'm not nearly as powerful as you guys." I say, waving my hand in their direction. "But out of the genin and chunin I am the strongest. The best things come in small packages." I can tell by the looks that the women exchange that they don't believe me.

"Tsunade, we are here for a reason." Jiraiya says, making the two women switch focus to him. "The elders want you to come back to the village."

"Yes, Kira just told me that part." Tsunade says, her eyes flicking towards me and back again. "Why exactly do they want me to come back?"

"To become the fifth Hokage." Jiraiya says without ceremony.

The look Tsunade gives him would have had me beginning to wither on the spot, but Jiraiya just meets her steely stare with one of his own. He crosses his arms and closes his eyes, waiting for a response.

Naruto, meanwhile, begins choking on the fish he's eating and I thump his back heartily. He looks in horror at Tsunade as he regurgitates his fish, then glances at me accusingly. "You knew that this is what the Elders wanted, and you didn't tell me?" He asks, his voice low.

"Sorry." I mumble, feeling slightly guilty. "But you should have known something was up because of how desperately I wanted to find her. You can't expect to be made Hokage at the level you're at now." I say, picking up a piece of sushi with my chopsticks and dunking it in my soy sauce and wasabi mixture. I plop the exquisite morsel into my mouth and chew slowly, savoring the taste. When I glance at Naruto he is plainly ignoring me, his arms crossed in a pout. I sigh at how immature he is and pick up another piece of sushi.

"Have you heard about the third Hokage?" Jiraiya asks Tsunade.

"Orochimaru did it, right?" Tsunade asks, glancing at me as I eat another piece of sushi. I meet her stare with my own determined one. She looks back at Jiraiya. "I heard about it… directly from him."

_So she did fight with him… _I think to myself, dunking my last piece of sushi in my soy sauce.

_I don't think they actually exchanged blows. They may have had a verbal fight though. _Gobi says thoughtfully.

_That would explain why she doesn't look like she fought recently… But she is also the best medical ninja in the world, so it's quite possible she healed herself… _I mutter to the hulking white wolf as he lazes in his cage.

_You are smarter than you look sometimes. _The wolf chuckles, making me forget myself momentarily as my hand pauses midair, my last piece of sushi dangling precariously between my chopsticks. My cheeks flame in anger.

_You shut up! I've always been relatively smart for my age. I'm sorry I'm not a bazillion years old like you, grandpa. _I shout at him.

A snap in my face has me looking around confusedly. "What?" I ask, staring at the four others quizzically.

Tsunade is the one to speak. "Are you ok? You froze up there for a minute." I sigh and pop my last bite into my mouth.

"Well since you'll find out sooner or later…" I trail off and contact Gobi. _Go say hi to Tsunade. _I mutter in my head.

"Find out what?" Tsunade gets out before her eyes practically bulge out of her head as she looks at me.

_Done. _Gobi says happily. _Do I get a treat?_

_Oh ha ha. _I say, smirking at the wolf.

"Tsunade, it is of the utmost importance that you _never _tell _anyone _what you have just learned. The Council of Elders and ninety eight percent of Konoha's population do not know. The third and fourth wished it this way. You look trustworthy, so I am letting you know my secret. But if you tell _anyone _he will come down on you with a terrible wrath." I add the last part as insurance, but I'm pretty sure I didn't really need it. "Since you are to be the future Hokage I felt it necessary that you know."

"What she says is true. I know, and a select few jonin and ANBU know as well. The only others to know are her teammates." Jiraiya says, looking seriously at Tsunade.

"I see…" Tsunade looks at me thoughtfully.

Shizune looks at all of us, her face bewildered. "What just happened?"

"All in good time." I say, winking at the black haired girl. She scowls at me.

"Oh and another thing…" Naruto says, looking around at all of us. "When in the hell was anyone going to tell me that this Orochimaru guy is the one that killed the third!?" He yells, jumping up and slamming his hand on the table.

"Calm down." I mutter. "It's old news." Naruto glares at me angrily and turns his back on me.

"Who is this kid?" Tsunade asks, glaring at him.

"He is Uzumaki Naruto." Jiraiya says, a weird look of triumph on his face.

Tsunade freezes as a look of shock overcomes her. She stares hard at Naruto as he glares at her.

_Go tell Tsunade she should have realized earlier. He's the spitting image of Minato. And tell her that the Nekomata also resides in the village. She'd have a monopoly on the jinchuriki if she accepts the position of Hokage._

_On it… _Gobi says, leaving me for a few minutes.

Tsunade snaps her glare on me, and Gobi walks back seconds later.

_She's a spitfire that one. _Gobi chuckles before relaying a message from Tsunade. _She says that Naruto looks nothing like Minato _(I scoff at that) _and that if you think having a monopoly on the jinchuriki will entice her to take up the job of Hokage then you are sorely mistaken._

"Point taken." I say, nodding in Tsunade's direction. "I was only trying to point out a few pros."

"What is going on?" Shizune asks in frustration, glancing between me and Tsunade.

"Suffice it to say, that I can be telepathic if I so choose." I say, hoping that it will placate her enough to stop asking questions.

"Hey!" Naruto shouts, banging his fist on the table. "I am not done talking!" Naruto flings his arms out wide as he begins talking fast. "This Orochimaru, he's a Legendary Sannin right?" He glares at Jiraiya. "Then why would you not pursue him knowing that?"

"Naruto, be quiet for a moment." Jiraiya says, glancing at him dangerously. Naruto wisely shuts up, but the look he gives Jiraiya is scathing.

Jiraiya glances back at Tsunade. "I will say it again. The council is demanding that you return to Konoha and become the Hokage." Jiraiya says, giving Tsunade a look that clearly says she better listen and go through with it.

"Impossible. I refuse." Tsunade says, her eyes hard as she looks at the three of us. I glare back at her with my arms crossed.

"I remember those words. You said the same thing to me when I asked you out long ago." Jiraiya says with a smirk.

"What!?" I yell. "When did this turn into a meeting of remembrance?" I glare at the white haired man before rounding on Tsunade. "And you! The village needs a leader! You are the perfect person for this job, and you must come back to the village! The villagers need someone there to guide them, and the shinobi forces need someone other than a bunch of crack pot old geezers to direct them in their missions!" I breathe heavily, my hands splayed out on the table as I stand up and lean over it. "I was given the important task to bring you home, and I will do just that. I don't care if you are a Legendary Sannin, I will bring you back by force if necessary." I slam my hand on the table for emphasis, drawing several curious stares our way. I however, do not care about the spectacle I am making.

"And you said you would bring her back to treat Sasuke and Kakashi-Sensei!" Naruto says, jumping up and pointing his finger at Tsunade as he yells at Jiraiya.

"The both of you need to calm down." Jiraiya says, glancing at us before meeting Tsunade's eyes with his own.

"You want me to be calm? My next mission hangs in the balance of the outcome of this mission, and I _really _want my next mission, so she better come home." I say defiantly, my arms crossed again.

"She will. She is the granddaughter of the first Hokage, so she is the best candidate for the job."

"What?" I ask as I feel my jaw hit the floor.

Jiraiya ignores me and continues on. "Besides, it's what the Elders settled on. Genin like you have no say in the matter."

"If she would just come home I would get my promotion." I mutter as I glare at the two from my spot next to Naruto, who has his arms crossed and is looking angrily at the floor. "Besides," I say a little louder, "I was not arguing with the fact that she is becoming Hokage, I was arguing with the fact that she won't come home."

"Being Hokage is a bother." Tsunade says, making me and Naruto look at her sharply. "No one but a fool wants to become Hokage."

_Oh boy… She's going to get it._ I think to myself, smirking.

As soon as the bit of thought trailed through my mind, Naruto had leaped up onto the table, his arms reaching for Tsunade, the anger in his eyes making me cringe slightly. I don't think he's ever been so mad. Jiraiya reaches and grabs the back of his orange jacket, pulling him off the table.

"Let go of me!" Naruto growls, struggling to get away from Jiraiya.

"Cut it out, we're in a pub." Jiraiya says boredly, thrusting him into his seat. Naruto doesn't sit still and immediately leaps back up onto the table, his body shaking with anger.

"Anyone who makes fun of the old man and the fourth Hokage… I will clobber them with all my might!" Naruto says punching his open palm for emphasis, his glare chilling as he stares down Tsunade.

The woman in question stands up herself, putting a foot on the table as she leans into Naruto's face. "You've got courage to confront me like this. Let's take this outside, brat."

"You'll have to deal with me too." I growl, mirroring Tsunade's own stance from next to Naruto.

Jiraiya sighs in defeat, leaning back against the booth as we all get up and walk outside into the moonlit night.

"Though I may not look like it, I am one of the Legendary Sannin." Tsunade says mockingly.

"I know." I say harshly, my arms still crossed as I glared at her.

"Why should I even take you genin seriously?" She asks arrogantly.

"What did you say?" Naruto asks angrily.

"I can take you down with one finger!" Tsunade says.

_I know what will make her pause… _Gobi says, a chuckle in his voice.

_What?_

_Well… Since you can use all of the elements… How about mixing water and earth for a little bit of wood style?_

_I haven't practiced that in so long… _I mutter, thinking back to the last time I had used wood style. It had to be close to two or three years now.

_Nothing fancy, just enough to make her pause._

_I'll see what I can do. _I stare at her determinedly and start pulling up my water and earth chakra, separating it into two halves, one element on each side of my body.

"Well? Come on kids!" Tsunade says mockingly.

"Don't make fun of me!" Naruto growls angrily. He charges, throwing kunai and shuriken. I fly through my hand seals and then force the two chakra natures together. A tree nearby starts to wobble weirdly.

"Come on, come on." I whisper as the tree contorts, distracting Tsunade for a moment. She glances at me as she dodges Naruto's attacks effortlessly. I am shaking with my concentration, and finally a raspy roar rattles the windows on nearby buildings. I glance up and watch as my wooden dragon claws its way out of the tree. I smile heartily and jump onto the dragon's head. "Mokuton: Mokuryū no Jutsu!" I say triumphantly as Tsunade stares in shock at my dragon before pulling herself out of it to flick Naruto in the head hard enough to send him flying.

My dragon roars before hurtling towards Tsunade, who dodges effortlessly before launching herself towards me and my dragon, a fist held out for a punch. I immediately jump from my dragon as seconds later it is smashed to bits, slivers of wood raining down everywhere.

_Not enough of a distraction it would seem. _I say, as I land next to Naruto.

_It was enough to rattle her slightly though. _Gobi says happily. _Sometimes that's all you need. _

"Hey you brats! I'll ask you one more thing before you two faint. Why get so passionate over the mention of the Hokage name?" Tsunade asks, a brow raised.

"This one's all you." I say to Naruto, who glances at me and nods.

"Unlike you, I will be the heir to the Hokage name, no matter what!" Naruto says, his voice low and filled with anger. "Because being Hokage is my dream."

I watch as Tsunade's eyes widen in surprise, and I fall into my fighting stance. _Think you can help me with my Rasengan? _I ask Gobi, who chuckles.

_I knew you'd ask sooner or later._

_Well, I usually need your plethora of chakra to get the harder jutsus down._ I say, smiling at the wolf as his chakra floods my system. I glance at Naruto beside me, who has a look of concentration on his face, and I know that he is gathering up chakra for his own Rasengan.

We both charge as the blue balls of chakra rotate violently in our palms. I use just the one hand, flexing my fingers to help keep the rotating ball in check. I leap behind Tsunade as Naruto comes in from the front.

Tsunade leans down, punching the ground with enough strength to crack the earth. Naruto's attack misses her by inches, and I fly over her head. I land on the ground and charge again, but I am effectively knocked aside with a simple punch that sends me slamming hard into the ground. My Rasengan blows a neat hole next to Naruto's and I fly back from the impact, landing not far from Naruto. I jump to my feet and scowl at the blonde woman.

"Jiraiya was it you who taught them to use the Rasengan?" Tsunade asks.

"I am their teacher at the moment." Jiraiya responds flippantly.

"You and the fourth were the only ones who could do that jutsu, but now it seems you've taught Kira as well."

"She had a perfect one?" Jiraiya asks as he strides over to inspect my hole. I smile with pride. "When did you perfect this?" He asks, turning to me.

"I had a little help." I say, eyeing Shizune as she tries to listen in.

"From who?" Jiraiya asks.

"Let's just say he's a _close _friend." I say, hoping they get the hint.

"Anyways what were you thinking teaching that jutsu to a kid who won't get it? You shouldn't encourage him, that's why the kids off in dreamland start joking around about becoming Hokage."

"He's not joking around." I yell, pointing my finger in Tsunade's face. "He has always wanted to become Hokage, always."

"Oh? And how would you know?" Tsunade asks.

_Gobi you tell her. I don't want Naruto to overhear this._

_Oh all right. _Gobi says. _I'm getting tired of this though._

Tsunade eyes me with speculation. "So you were the brat that he took in…" She turns away from me and looks at Naruto, who is on his feet and pointing angrily at the Sannin.

"Just give me three days, and I'll have this jutsu mastered!" Naruto says.

"You said it, kid." Tsunade says, eyeing the loudmouth blonde. "Men don't go back on their word."

"I stand by my words. That's my Ninja Way!" Naruto says, a look of determination on his face.

"Then how about a wager?" Tsunade asks, hands on her hips. "I'll give you one week. If you master that Jutsu, I'll acknowledge that you have what it takes to become Hokage and I will give you this necklace." She points at the blue crystal hanging around her neck on a black leather cord.

"Tsunade-sama! That's precious…" Shizune says, but quiets at a look from Tsunade.

"I don't need such a sorry necklace." Naruto says, hands behind his head.

"Don't agree to the bet Naruto. That's the only necklace of its kind in the world, and you could buy three mountains if you were to sell it. It belonged to the first Hokage." Jiraiya says, and Naruto's eyes light up.

_That was the wrong tactic to go with… _I sigh to myself.

"Well that'll be fine then." Naruto says carelessly.

"Ok, but that means that you will lose if you can't master the jutsu in a week." Tsunade says. "And you'll give me all the money you have on you." Tsunade holds up Naruto's fat wallet and he cries.

"My wallet…"

I giggle and start making my way back to the pub.

* * *

The week passes and Naruto makes no headway with his Rasengan. Neither do I for that matter. The one perfect one I managed when battling Tsunade was only due to the fact that I had Gobi helping me. On my own, I was as insufficient as Naruto when it came to the jutsu.

We both stayed out night and day trying to perfect the jutsu, but maintaining everything we learned at one hundred percent power was nigh impossible. I sigh in frustration, before throwing a temper tantrum, destroying trees with my fireball jutsu.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asks, cringing as I set fire to a tree not far from him.

"I'm being pissed at how impossible this jutsu is!" I growl, feeling the prickling in my eyes that alerts me to their changing color. I lash out at another tree, littered with spiraling holes from failed attempts at the Rasengan.

"Well, setting fire to the trees destroys our targets." Naruto says, eyeing me wearily.

I sigh and blink, willing my eyes back to their ice blue color. "I know, I know…" I mumble, scuffing my black boots in the dirt. "I'm just beyond frustrated right now. Ninjutsu usually comes easy to me, and I am failing miserably at the last part of this training."

"Perhaps you should take a break." Naruto says, and I sigh before nodding in agreement.

"Ok. I'm going back to the hotel. Make sure you come to bed tonight too." I say before heading back.

As soon as I'm in our room I shower, washing all the sweat and grime from my body and grease from my hair. I take only a few minutes in the shower, then hop out and towel dry my hair. I brush it back out of my face, then wrap my towel around my body before stepping out of the bathroom.

"Hello Kira." The voice makes me freeze and my eyes connect with a man's as he finishes looking up my body.

"Jiraiya!" I scream, whipping my hairbrush at his head. "Get out!" I point vehemently at the door and stomp my foot for good measure.

The white haired perv chuckles. "I was going to see if you wanted to go out for a drink, but I'm going to guess that your answer is going to be a no." Then Jiraiya heads for the door and leaves. I collapse onto the end of my bed, clutching my towel tightly around my body.

I'm startled as the door to the room bursts open, a panicking Shizune carrying a passed out Naruto over her shoulder. "What happened?" I ask worriedly, my towel clad body flying from my mind at the sight of Naruto.

"I found him collapsed on the ground. I tried waking him, but he's out cold." Shizune says as she walks into the room.

"Put him there." I say, pointing to his bed. "I'm going to dress, and then I'll help any way I can."

When I come out of the bathroom, Shizune has begun removing Naruto's clothes as she checks for wounds. I help, busying myself with removing his orange jacket and black undershirt. I check him meticulously but find no wounds on the top half of his body.

"Do you see anything?" Shizune asks as she checks Naruto's legs.

"No." I whisper worriedly, my eyes skimming along my adopted brother's chest in a final check for injuries.

"I'll go find Tsunade." Shizune says before rushing out the door.

I plop on the bed next to my only semblance of family, and pull his head into my lap, brushing his blonde locks away from his forehead. "You better be ok Naruto, or I'll never forgive you." I whisper quietly.

It takes nearly half an hour for Shizune to get back with Tsunade. I carefully remove myself from the bed and ease Naruto's head back down onto his pillow as Tsunade walks over to us briskly. She exams him quickly and sits up with a sigh.

"He'll be fine. He has chakra exhaustion and chakra burns on his hands, but nothing too serious. I'm pretty sure he'll be sleeping for the next couple of days." Tsunade says tiredly. I peer at her out of the corner of my eyes, and I don't miss the slight coloring of her cheeks.

_Been out drinking it looks like… _Gobi says as he eyes the medic.

_But she has diagnosed him… _I murmur, not quite ready to second guess the best medic in the ninja world.

_Let's hope it's a correct diagnosis._

I agree silently and am snapped out of it as Shizune speaks up. "You should never have made that bet with him."

"I know it was stupid." Tsunade says tiredly. The room lapses into silence and I climb back into bed next to Naruto. I meet Shizune's eyes with my own, and she blinks tiredly.

"I need to talk to you Lady Tsunade." Shizune says, making her way towards the door. Tsunade sighs and follows her slowly, glancing back at us once before closing the door and leaving the room.

I sit in silence for a minute, then kiss Naruto's head and climb into my own bed. I fall asleep almost as soon as my head hits the pillow.

* * *

Naruto is the one who wakes me up in the morning. "Hey, Kira, get up. There's someone lying in the hall."

I blink and sit up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I glance at Naruto blearily, then hop out of bed. "What do you mean there's someone lying in the hall?" I ask through a yawn, then stretch my arms above my head and arch my back. _God that feels good._

"Come and see." Naruto says, tugging on my arm. I sigh and follow the rambunctious blonde out of our room. I almost trip over Shizune, who is knocked out cold in our doorway.

"What the hell?" I mutter, looking up and down the hall but finding nothing suspicious or out of place. I try and shake the woman awake, but she doesn't even stir. I glance at my water skin, slung around my bed post. I pull my water out of the skin and direct it onto Shizune's face. She splutters awake immediately.

"Naruto, Kira?" She asks, blinking and sitting up. And just as suddenly she is flailing around and barking questions at us. "What day is it? What time is it?"

"It's Monday…" Naruto and I say, and I sweat drop.

Shizune blinks in surprise. "Is your body healed Naruto? Tsunade said you were supposed to sleep for two full days…"

"No matter what the wound, I'm always able to recover after a full night's sleep." Naruto says rather proudly. I smile at him and give him the thumbs up.

"I'm going to get dressed, just give me a minute." I say, running for the bathroom. I emerge minutes later, my blonde hair up in a high ponytail, with my chin length bangs framing both sides of my face. For a shirt I have a black and red corset that laces in the front, with black spandex like shorts. My weapons pouch is attached to my left thigh, and on my hands I have elbow length black fingerless gloves and my usual thigh high black boots. I'd been wearing the same outfit for a few months, and I was tired of being so covered up all the time, although I did have a reason for it. I didn't want Jiraiya eyeing my body every chance he got, but something told me that today would be different. Call it a wolf's intuition. There was just _something _in the air.

Naruto looks at me for a second before prowling up and down the hall. He comes back after a minute, then looks at Shizune. "Where's that old woman? Today's the bet day!"

"Did you get the jutsu?" Shizune asks.

"Well… no, but I can just wing it!" Naruto says happily, and I have to smile at him. He's always so optimistic.

Shizune leaps up and heads for the window, wrenching it open. She freezes in surprise as a kunai whips by her face, lodging inches from her fingers. She looks for the source as Naruto and I both peer out the window. On the ledge we find a panting and pissed of Jiraiya. I gulp as he eyes Shizune with an angry glare.

We all pile out onto the ledge, and I help Jiraiya to sit. "That damned Tsunade spiked my drink." He growls, arms crossed. "I can't build up chakra, and my body is so numb I can barely throw a kunai."

"That's lame." Naruto says, nonplussed.

"I have to agree." I say, arms crossed as I scowl at him. He scowls back as Shizune get a pitcher and pours him a glass of water, which he glugs down in record time.

"Are you feeling better?" Shizune asks as she takes his glass to refill it.

"Better than when I first woke up." He admits as he takes another swig of water. "Shizune," Jiraiya says, glaring at the young medic, "It's about time you tell me what the hell Tsunade was doing talking to Orochimaru."

Shizune freezes up and looks at her feet sadly. "I wanted to believe in Lady Tsunade, that's why I haven't said anything until now… But, there's no time! Please come with me!" Shizune says, standing and leaping away. "I'll explain as we run."

We all three leap after Shizune and we fly through the air for several minutes before Shizune begins talking. "Orochimaru approached Tsunade and told her that if she healed his arms, he would bring back the two people she loved most."

"The answer to that is definitely no." Naruto says as he flips through the air.

"What the hell is she thinking!?" I exclaim as we near the rendezvous point.

"And he's planning to attack the Leaf village again once his arms are healed." Shizune says with anguish in her voice.

"The situation will get even more dangerous than that." Jiraiya says as he leaps off a tree branch.

Moments later we arrive at the rendezvous point, only to find destruction and no signs of Orochimaru or Tsunade. "What happened here?" I wonder allowed as I examine a portion of wall that is completely knocked down.

"Princess Tsunade tore it up big time." Jiraiya says as he looks around at the mess.

"Then where did Tsunade go?" Naruto asks as he walks through the smashed in cobblestone wall. He pauses before stooping down and picking something up.

"What is it?" I ask as I look at the green cloth in his hands.

"That belongs to Lady Tsunade." Shizune says as she takes the cloth from Naruto.

I bite my thumb and drag the bleeding appendage down my summoning tattoo. Shiro appears through the smoke and looks at me quizzically. "Shiro, please track down the owner of this jacket." I say, pointing at the green bundle of cloth in Shizune's arms.

"Of course." Shiro steps up to Shizune and sniffs the cloth. "This way." Shiro says, jumping off. The four of us follow quickly.

It only takes us moments to arrive at the area where Tsunade is fighting. But instead of Tsunade and Orochimaru having it out, Tsunade is fighting the boy from the chunin exams, the one who revealed information about me and Takai to the opposition.

"You!" I growl, the genjutsu hiding my teeth disappearing as I go for intimidation.

"It's been a long time… Jiraiya." Orochimaru says, eyeing the lot of us as we stand protectively in front of Tsunade.

"You've got an evil look as usual." Jiraiya responds with a smile, making me smirk. Orochimaru chuckles once, an amused smile on his face as well.

"Kabuto-san?" Naruto asks, pointing at the guy who knew so much about me and gave the information out freely.

"Naruto-kun." Kabuto replies. I growl at him, baring my fangs. "And Kira-chan." He says as he turns to face me.

"Don't 'Kira-chan' me, you dirt bag." I say angrily.

"You know each other?" Jiraiya asks me and Naruto.

"We were in the Chunin exams together." Naruto says, looking a little confused as to why Kabuto is here with Orochimaru.

Before anyone can respond, Tsunade knocks Jiraiya aside and charges at Kabuto, attacking him relentlessly. She corners him against a rock, but he pulls out a kunai and as she throws a punch, the kunai flashes in the sunlight. I gasp in horror as Tsunade staggers back, her arms covered in blood, but not from a wound she inflicted. I look at Kabuto and see the bleeding hole where he stabbed the kunai into his own hand.

"My body movements have finally returned…" Kabuto says smugly, his eyes flashing dangerously. "Having two of the Legendary Sannin as opponents makes things pretty hard, so as long as I can take down one…" Kabuto punches Tsunade, sending her flying against Shizune.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune gasps as she catches her.

"Hey what's going on?" Naruto asks, looking from Tsunade to Kabuto and back again.

"He's with Orochimaru Naruto. Even back during the Chunin exams." I say, glaring at the grey haired man in front of me.

"What?" Naruto asks, staring in disbelief.

"I was a spy from the HiddenSoundVillage." Kabuto says quite smugly, and I have to try really hard not to attack and smash in his smug face.

"You're lying, right Kabuto-san?" Naruto asks, his eyes shining with hurt and disbelief.

"No, he's not lying Naruto. He's our enemy." I growl, sliding into a fighting stance, my chakra blades out.

"How very observant Kira. You were always the smart one, able to figure out problems the fastest during the exams." Kabuto says.

"Why do I feel like that compliment was laced with thorns?" I ask cynically, advancing forward a step.

"Even with those fierce looks, you're both just Genin with cute faces." Kabuto says, and my anger becomes palpable in the air around me.

"I've been promoted." I growl, charging at Kabuto, lacing my chakra blades with my wind style chakra, making them longer and sharper than metal alone. He dodges, but a spurt of blood erupts on his cheek, and I smile sinisterly. "Didn't dodge fast enough it would seem." I mock as I continue advancing on the enemy medic.

I hear Naruto running behind me, and then multiple feet. I chance a look behind me and see Naruto and three clones rushing in. I turn back to Kabuto and smile, exposing my fangs. _Let's go Gobi! _My eyes burn orange as I feel the Wolf's chakra meld with my own, and our two conscious's meld into one.

_"This is going to be fun." _Gobi's and my voice come out at the same time, forming a new voice that is chilling. We smirk at the opposition, and I take off, much faster than I would be on my own.

"So, the little girl is the first one to lose it." Kabuto says, as he dodges away from me.

_"We haven't lost it… We've just decided to team up."_

Naruto's clones rush in from all sides, surrounding Kabuto. He and his clones use taijutsu, punching and kicking, but Kabuto easy deflects all of the clones. I use the moment of distraction to pull the water out of my water skin and direct it at Kabuto. My whip just barely misses as he jumps away.

_"This time how about some lightning?" _My new voice says as I charge lightning through my water before whipping it towards Kabuto once more. He disappears in a flurry of leaves and kicks me in my lower back, sending me flying through the air before tumbling in the dirt.

I get up, my back cracking in several places. I turn my glare back on Kabuto, who now stands alongside Orochimaru. He pulls out a food pill and throws it in his mouth, crunching down on it.

"Shizune. You take care of the guy with glasses. I'll get rid of Orochimaru." Jiraiya says, before glancing at me. "You and Naruto should stay put."

_"Like hell we'll stay put old man."_

Jiraiya raises an eyebrow at me before turning his back. "Just don't die."

I laugh at that and then get ready for another summoning. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" I say as Kuro materializes underneath me, carrying me high up into the air on his head.

"Gobi-sama." Kuro says as his eyes roll up to look at me on the top of his head.

_"It's been a while, Kuro." _Gobi responds, smiling warmly at the wolf underneath our feet.

"So, you're the Gobi brat…" Orochimaru says as he eyes me.

_"Let's kick some Sannin ass." _I growl out and Kuro doesn't hesitate to leap at Orochimaru and the giant snake he has summoned. Our two summons meet in a deadly dance, the snake trying to get in a lethal bite, Kuro trying desperately to find purchase on the snake's scales.

Kabuto summons his own snake, and they go after Naruto. I glance back in time to see the snake swallow the blonde ninja. _"Damn it! Kuro, take over here. We need to go help Naruto." _We leap off of Kuro and land on the ground in our ninja crouch. However, neither of us notice the danger coming in from behind.

Something hits the back of my neck and before I can even turn to look at what's happened the black spots take over my vision, and I pass out.

* * *

**AN: So, how was this chapter? I got lazy and didn't want to watch the whole fight, so this is the result. Plus I'm watching The Dark Knight Rises, and it's very distracting trying to watch two things and type all at the same time. Until chapter fourteen! Leave a review!**


	14. I'm Gonna Getcha Good

_"Don't wantcha for the weekend  
Don't wantcha for a night  
I'm only interested if I can have you for life, yeah  
Uh, I know I sound serious and baby I am  
You're a fine piece of real estate  
And I'm gonna get me some land"_

**Chapter 14: I'm Gonna Getcha Good (Shania Twain)**

I startle awake, breathing in a large breath of air before panting heavily and looking around me in bewilderment. I calm after I realize I'm in a hospital. I glance around at the white room before the open window attracts my attention, a wonderful breeze caressing my cheek. I close my eyes and enjoy the fresh air before getting out of bed and moving to the open window. I lean my elbows on the sill and stick my head out the window, looking down on Konoha.

"Did I honestly pass out for days?" I ask myself as I watch the villager's go about their business below me.

"Well, it wasn't an ordinary blow you received."

I whip around at the voice, but relax when I see it's only Tsunade. "It hurt like hell…" I grumble, rubbing at the back of my neck as I remember the pain of the jab.

"Well Kabuto severed the muscles in your neck while driving chakra directly into your spine. I'm surprised he didn't put you in a coma or paralyze you." Tsunade says as she comes over to inspect my neck.

"Yeah well, we have Gobi to thank for that." I say, making a note to thank the wolf when I get a minute.

"You best get dressed. You have a meeting to go to." Tsunade says with a smile. My eyes light up and I dress hurriedly in a more conservative outfit since I knew this meeting would include the elders. A black tee shirt that stopped just above my belly button with black knee length shorts and standard black sandals. I attached my weapons pouch to my left leg, then followed Tsunade out the door.

We immediately go to the Hokage tower, and Tsunade leads me to the office she now holds. The elders have already gathered and smile at me warmly as I enter behind Tsunade, who takes her position behind the desk.

"We the council, and the fifth Hokage have decided the following: Chikako Kira, you will be ambassador to Konoha going between your home village and the other villages in the five nations, fostering bonds and helping to forge new treaties. You will also be responsible for coming up with new ideas to help our ninja better get along and communicate with ninja of other villages. Do you accept this position?" One of the elders asks.

"Yes." I breathe, barely able to contain myself.

"Then please sign this document." Tsunade points at a paper on her desk, and I walk over slowly, gingerly picking up the offered fountain pen and signing my name.

"As ambassador you will be required to wear this vest on any missions where your status as ambassador requires your expertise." The elder who had spoke earlier points at a black vest with white trim and I take it off the hook and shrug it on happily, zipping it up.

"Now for your first mission as ambassador." Tsunade says, catching my attention. I walk to stand in front of her desk and await my orders. "You know of the calamity that has befallen Suna after the Chunin exams. Your first mission is to spend two months in Suna working on a treaty and making plans with the elders regarding fostering friendship between our villages. It is my understanding that a young man is being evaluated to take up the position of Kazekage, one of the former Kazekage's children. You will also be working with him closely because he is going to have a major hand in helping with the treaties. The elders have arranged for you to stay in an apartment a block from the Kazekage building. You may pick two people to accompany you to and from Suna; however I must insist that you leave Takai and Naruto here."

I sigh at not being able to take two of my prime choices, but I understand that letting one jinchuriki out of the village was risky enough, especially when other villager's weren't aware of me. "I understand. I will choose Kakkaku and Shikamaru then." I say, giving Tsunade a slight bow.

"Excellent choices. They will accompany you to Suna, rest for a day, and then come back. They will be back after eight weeks to pick you up. Have you any questions?"

"No, Hokage-sama." I say giving a slight shake of my head.

"Good, you leave in an hour. Make sure to tell Kakkaku and Shikamaru to meet you at the gate in an hour." Tsunade smiles at me, and I smile back, poofing away in a flurry of leaves.

Once out on the street I summon Shiro and his brother Shikon. "Hello boys." I say, smiling at the two.

"Kira-hime." The pair say, bowing their heads.

"Please find Kakkaku and Shikamaru. Let them know that they need to leave in an hour to accompany me to the SandVillage on Tsunade's orders."

"Hai." The wolves chorus before turning and running off.

I leap through the streets, scrambling around my apartment and gathering everything I'm going to need. I sling my full back pack and my water skin over my back, then head out for the gates.

I'm not waiting long before both of the boys show up. I smile at them, and jump on Kakkaku, hugging him tight. "I missed you while I was out on the road with Jiraiya." I whisper before pulling away.

"Takai and I missed you too." He says.

"I wish I could have said good bye before we leave…" I say, sighing. "But I have important work to do."

"You are so troublesome." Shikamaru sighs, gazing up at the clear blue sky.

"Oh hush. Who's the one who was asked to be ambassador?" I ask.

"You were, but only because you're four years older than all of us." Shikamaru sighs before walking through the gates.

"Hey, I'm in charge of this group!" I say, jogging to catch up.

"Oh relax." Kakkaku says. "Besides if I know anything, you want to get to Suna as fast as possible to get your job started."

"You know me too well." I say, linking arms with the two men and starting off towards Suna.

* * *

The three days on the road had been long and uneventful. We waited until the shelter of sunrise on the third day to cross the desert to avoid the unbearable heat of travelling under a hot sun.

Ninja were already waiting for us at the overwhelming gates of Suna. "Hello Gaara." I say, flushing slightly as I meet his sea foam eyes. My eyes roam over the new clothes he's wearing, a maroon trench coat with a high collar and matching pants that tuck into the tops of his black sandals, with white binding tape holding them in place. He still has the tan leather straps holding his gourd up and his white sash travelling from hips down around his shoulder and draping down his front. He looks much more sophisticated now. "Temari, Kankuro." I meet their eyes in turn, shaking each of their hands.

"So, you're the new Konoha ambassador huh?" Kankuro asks, smirking at me through his war paint.

"Expecting someone else?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"We didn't know who to expect." Temari says, giving Kankuro a dirty look. "We will show you to where you will be staying. You will be a block from the Kazekage tower and a block from us, so if you need anyone we won't be far."

"Thank you Temari." I say, following the three through the gates and down the dusty roads.

"You and I will be meeting with the council in three hours to begin going over how to proceed with the treaties. I hope this isn't too much of a short notice." Gaara says, meeting my eyes.

Something had changed in the two and half months since I'd last seen him and it wasn't just his clothes. He was still quiet, and seemed like he was still slightly broody, but his eyes were much kinder, softer, when he looked at me. He even offered me the tiniest of smiles, not a smirk, but a bonafide smile.

"It's not short notice at all." I say, smiling warmly at the red head. We walk along in silence and I take this time to sneak peeks at Gaara as we walk down the road. It doesn't escape my notice however, the looks he gets from a lot of the villagers. Hatred, fear… I glare at each villager I pass that shoots Gaara a dirty look and automatically step closer to him out of my naturally protective nature. I catch Gaara glancing at me out of the corner of his eye as I stare another villager down. So what if I create enemies for myself here… although, perhaps I should rethink that since I'm Konoha's ambassador. I smile at him and he turns to face forward. I think I just made him slightly uncomfortable.

"This is our house." Temari says, pointing at a sand building that looks a little ritzier than the other buildings.

"It's very nice." I say, detaching myself from the group and discreetly sniffing the area around the front door. When I return, they all look at me quizzically. "Committing the smell to memory, lest I get lost." I say, tapping my nose.

"I see…" Kankuro says, giving me the 'you're nuts' stare. I roll my eyes at him and fall into step next to Gaara.

"How've you been since you got back?" I ask quietly so the others don't hear.

"Better." Gaara says.

"So you're the one the Council is talking about taking up the position of Kazekage." I say, trying to make conversation.

"Yes."

"Do you know how to give actual answers instead of one worded replies?"

"Yes." Gaara smirks at me.

"Oh ha ha, you're so funny!" I say, rolling my eyes, but dropping it for now.

"This is where you'll be staying." Temari says, leading me up the stairs to a one bedroom apartment. She unlocks the door and hands me the keys. "You boys come with me." Temari beckons to Kakkaku and Shikamaru, who both follow her, Kankuro bringing up the rear.

"You going to hang out with me?" I ask Gaara as he follows me into my apartment.

"Just so I can show you the way to the Kazekage building when it's time for the meeting."

"Ah, that's an excellent reason for staying behind." I say, plopping my bag onto the kitchen counter and unzipping all the pockets. "Here, you can help me put my few possessions away." I toss Gaara a pile of my clothes before rummaging in another pocket for my unmentionables. I grab them all and stuff them under my shirt before following Gaara into my room.

He looks at me quizzically, specifically at my now lumpy and bulging stomach region. "What? I don't want you to see my bras and panties." I huff, turning my back on him and opening the top of the dresser drawer. I put everything in the drawer; all jumbled together, and slam it shut. When I turn back around, Gaara's cheeks are slightly flushed and I giggle at him. "Help my fold everything else, since you decided to dump it all out on the bed." I say, grabbing a black mid-rise tank top out of the pile and folding it nicely before making a shirt pile on the bed.

As I get through my third article of clothing, I glance up at Gaara, who is holding a small scrap of something. Upon closer inspection I realize it's a runaway piece of underwear and I let out a strangled squeak before swiping it from his hands and throwing it in with the rest of my underwear. My cheeks are flaming when I meet his eyes, which are amused. "You could at least pretend you didn't see them…" I mutter, grabbing a pair of pants and folding them viciously.

"I didn't see anything then." He says, and I just barely repress a glare.

"How about saying it with a little more conviction?" I ask, reaching for another article of clothing.

I glance up at him, his eyes shining with a light that hadn't been there when I had met him during the Chunin Exams. I sigh, unable to be mad at him. I mean, really, it was my fault that my underwear had got into the pile of regular clothes. I'm distracted from my thoughts as I see him reach into my pile of clothes and pulls out one of my racier shirts, a black piece of lace with black silk across the chest that fits like a second skin. I take it from him gingerly so as not to tear the lace, and an impish thought crosses my mind.

"Hey Gaara?" I ask, holding the shirt up to myself. "Should I wear this to the meeting?"

Gaara doesn't say anything as his eyes roam over me, and a light pink tinges his cheeks. A blushing Gaara I could get used to. He opens his mouth as if he's about to say something, then closes it and very deliberately takes his eyes off of me and focuses only on the clothes as he begins folding again.

I smile to myself and pick up the piles of clothes, putting them away in a neat and orderly fashion. It only takes a few minutes because I had only brought about a weeks worth of clothes. I'll need to do some shopping here in Suna at some point or I'll wear out my clothes. I sigh as I put away the last folded stack of clothes before motioning for Gaara to follow me out of the room as I head for the kitchen.

I examine all the cupboards, taking stock of all the food in the house before rummaging in my pack and pulling out a pad of paper and a pencil. "I need to get some groceries and clothes. Want to come with me?" I ask Gaara.

He looks at me for a second, clearly debating whether or not he should go, but eventually he gives me a slight nod.

"Good!" I say happily, tugging on his sleeve and pulling him out the door.

I stop at the first clothing store I see, and rummage through the racks for several minutes before standing in a huff, hands on my hips. "I don't wear this kind of stuff at all! Where does Temari shop for her clothes?" I ask, glancing at Gaara who is standing with arms folded by the door.

He shrugs and continues watching me and I sigh in exasperation. I make my way to the door and link my arm in his, his eyes widening slightly in shock as I drag him out of the store. I can feel him discreetly trying to break my grip, but I smile up at him and pull him against me so our shoulders touch. The villagers outside stare in surprise, and I smile sweetly at all of them.

"So, where's the market?" I ask Gaara.

"Two blocks that way." He says, motioning to the left.

"And finally he speaks!" I tease, releasing my steel like grip, but keeping my arm linked with his. "You know, you should let more people in. The villagers will look at you in a better light if you're not so cold."

"This is how I've been my entire life." Gaara says quietly, his eyes facing forward and not looking up at me.

"Well, I'll help you." I say happily, smiling at him.

Gaara doesn't respond, but he does glance at me out of the corner of his eye. I smile softly at him, and let him pull his arm out of my grasp. I continue walking on, finally finding the market, and Gaara trails me silently as I peruse the food stalls. I can feel him getting tense the longer we're out, and I know it's because of the looks he's getting from the villagers.

"Miss?" An older gentleman asks, grabbing my attention. I meet his watery brown eyes with my own.

"Yes?"

"Please do not over react, but there's a dangerous boy following you." He flicks his eyes to Gaara before looking back at me.

I glance at the red head, and flick my eyes to get him to come over. It works and he walks over slowly. I look at the old man who is trying very hard not to shake or bolt in the other direction. I give the man a very determined stare as I link my arm through Gaara's and the villager looks at me in surprise.

"Gaara is the one accompanying me, and I have to say, he's nothing but gentlemanly." I say, giving the man an almost feral look.

"Gomen!" The man says, his eyes wide in disbelief as he bows. He then turns and walks away, looking over his shoulder at us as he goes.

I look up at Gaara, his eyes troubled as he watches the man leave.

"Don't worry about him." I say. "The villagers will look up to you one day. Just keep pushing ahead. And you'll have me for the next two months to help you out." I smile at the red head before pulling him away. "Come on, I need to finish getting my groceries."

Gaara nods at me once and we continue down through the market, picking up groceries. When there's only an hour until the meeting begins Gaara and I walk to my apartment, the both of us laden down with groceries. As soon as we get inside I fly through putting the groceries away and then wash my hair in the sink. I grab a towel and throw it on top of my head before I walk into my room and fiddle through my backpack.

"Damn it." I mutter, as I look through my bag again. I sigh and run into the bathroom, towel drying my hair as I go.

Gaara follows me around, clearly unsure as to what is wrong. He looks at me quizzically, and I can't help but smile at him.

"I just forgot my hair stuff." I say as I comb my hair with my fingers. "Now my hair is going to be impossible."

"Hair is impossible?" Gaara asks curiously.

"It depends on the hair." I giggle. "You're hair isn't impossible because it's short enough that you don't even need to brush it, just rifle your hand through it and you're good to go. Mine on the other hand is long and if I don't straighten it, it's wavy with random curls here and there and it's quite frizzy. There's nothing I can do about it now." I say, tucking the hair on the left side of my head behind my ear. "Let's get to that meeting."

We arrive at the Kazekage building about ten minutes before the meeting starts. Gaara leads me through the halls, and I follow closely. When we make it to the circular meeting room, Gaara directs me to a chair and I take a seat while he sits on my right. The both of us wait in silence as the Council members file in. I adjust my black vest nervously; none of the Council members have looked our way.

Finally, after an eternity the meeting is called to order. "We the council, will now begin the meeting to go over treaties. Accompanying the council is Gaara, candidate for Kazekage and Chikako Kira, ambassador to Konoha." I nod my head as every pair of eyes fall on me. "Now, the previous treaty was violated when Orochimaru killed the previous Kazekage and took on his identity." I feel Gaara tense up next to me, and I lightly brush his leg with my own, offering him my reassurance. "As ambassador to Konoha, how do you feel we should proceed?"

I stand up, meeting each of the council member's eyes. "I would first like to recommend stepping up security. Since I have been here, I have noticed that security around the gates is lax. Stepping up security will make it harder for enemy ninja to infiltrate the village." I can feel a few glares on me, but I continue on anyways. I was fostered by two Hokages; I know how a village should be run. "Also, I think we should exchange half of each village's teaching staff. This will enable the shinobi training our children's young minds to foster friendship and set good examples. I also think that you should look into the Leaf's schooling techniques, it'll open your eyes to a whole new way to teach children." I pause to gather my thoughts for my next idea when a council member speaks up.

"And what authority do you have telling us how to run our village?" He asks, a sneer on his face.

"And you are?" I ask, eyeing the man with a glare.

"Ki."

"Ki-sama, I was fostered by the Fourth Hokage, Minato, and by the Third Hokage, Sarutobi until I was seventeen. If anyone knows how a village should be run, it's me." I say matter of factly, trying hard not to blow up at the man. This causes the room to explode with murmuring, and I put a hand on my face in exasperation.

"Excuse me." I say, but get nowhere. "I AM NOT DONE SPEAKING!" I bellow, making everyone look at me sharply. "Now, I was given the job as ambassador for this very reason. I know what's best for my village, and now I'm telling you what's best for your village. You can either look into what I'm saying, or you can completely ignore me. This is _your _village after all. But I'm here to help the relationship between our two villages, and my advice will be taken seriously." I growl out the last bit, letting just a spike of killing intent in the air. Most of the council is looking at me in surprise, and some are looking at me with newfound respect.

"As I was saying, I also think it would be a good idea for Gaara, Temari and Kankuro to help out at the academy. If you are seriously considering Gaara for Kazekage, then he needs to be more involved with the village in a public way. Older villagers will most likely be against him becoming Kazekage no matter what, and I'm sure you know why. But getting the younger villagers on board with the idea is where you'll succeed.

"As for the treaties, a truce is a must. Both of our village's need to be friendlier to each other, and we need to offer help to the other when it's asked of us. As you know I will be here for eight weeks hammering out the nitty gritty details with you. I offer myself as a resource for you guys. Should you need me for anything, including short and less dangerous missions, I will gladly participate." I sit down with a sigh, and this time it's Gaara's leg brushing against mine. I offer him a covert smile before Ki addresses Gaara.

"How do you feel about this Gaara-sama?"

"What Kira says is true. The security around our borders is too relaxed. I also like the ideas she offered regarding the academy. I would be more than willing to help out at the academy whenever it was needed." As always, a man of few words, Gaara's speech was short and to the point.

"Very well. Kira, you will send a hawk to Konoha explaining to the Hokage what you told us. Should she agree to the teacher swap, we will correspond with her to set a date for the exchange and how long the exchange will last for. At the end of the exchange, we will have you, Gaara, start working at the academy two days a week. Our next meeting will be in one week. Please have more ideas for the treaties drawn up by then. This meeting is adjourned." As Ki finishes talking, the Council members all begin to stand and Gaara and I stand respectively as well.

"I think that went well." I say, as we leave the building.

"You do?"

"Yes, all things considered. I'm a stranger to them, and I'm sure they were expecting someone meek and easy to push around when they laid eyes on me. I just showed them that I'm not to be trifled with, and now at the next meeting I'm likely to be more respected." I say as we stop outside the Kazekage building.

"I'll see you tomorrow then? I'd like to start working on some ideas for the treaties and get it out of the way, that way you can show me around the village later on in the day." I wink at Gaara, but since night has fallen, I can't tell if he's blushing or not.

"That sounds fine." Gaara says.

"Good!" I lean over and kiss the red head's cheek before disappearing in a flurry of leaves.

* * *

**AN: I missed Gaara as much as you guys, so here's chapter fourteen early for you guys! If you give me some ideas for Kira and Gaara's relationship and I use them in the story I'll give you credit for them! Also, to all my loyal readers, go try out The Shukaku and the Sharingan, a story by my good friend rainbowweekend. Especially if you like GaaraXOC pairings! Until chapter fifteen, peace out!**


	15. Follow the Wolves

_"Dismantle the ground they stand on  
Give power a name…  
Shed rejection  
Learn to follow the wolves"_

**Chapter 15: Follow the Wolves (Demon Hunter)**

When I get home, as I rummage through my dresser drawers for my jammies, that lace and silk top beckons to me. I sigh and roll my eyes heavenward, seriously debating the repercussions of what I'm thinking about doing. "Eh, I'ma risk it." I mumble to myself and shrug out of my black and red tee shirt. I pull on the little lacy number, which requires no bra since it has built in underwire (the only sturdy thing about this shirt). It stops two inches below my breasts, and it clings to my body nicely. The lace makes intricate rose shaped patterns, and there's something seductive about the little bits of skin that can be seen through the lace. The back of the shirt is lace only, making it that much more seductive.

Then I pull out a tight, short skirt, one that I've only worn once before on a seduction mission. It's black with little pleats and flares out slightly at the bottom because of how it sits on my hips. The skirt stops at about mid-thigh, showing off plenty of leg. I put on my black heels, giving me a good three or four inches of height.

Yup, I have successfully just transformed myself into a whore, but this is a good going out for drinks outfit, especially if you want guys to drool. I look through my back pack and find my makeup bag. I pull it out and go into the bathroom, giving myself a smoky eye. A little bit of blush and some pale lip gloss and I'm just about ready to go.

I study my hair in the mirror, looking at the soft waves and the random curls that frame my face. Having forgotten my hair stuff, I didn't know what to do with my hair. I study it for a minute, and then inspiration hits. I do have one hair tie; I always leave one on my wrist for emergencies. I grab up my hair and start braiding, creating a beautiful French braid that curves around the side of my head. I stop braiding at the base of my skull, about an inch and a half away from my left ear, and put the pony tail in. With my fingers I make soft waves in my hair before leaving the rest of my hair over my shoulder, trailing just above my breast.

"There." I say, quite happy with my look. I grab some money and stuff it down the front of my shirt for later. I grab my apartment key and stuff that down my shirt too, then head for the door. As I open it, a shadow on the other side of my door makes me pause. I open it slowly, peeking my head out, but it's only Kakkaku, his hand raised as if he were about to start knocking on my door.

"Where are you going?" He asks, his eyes trailing up and down my body. I resist the urge to smack him for ogling me. I considered him a brother, so when he looked at me with those burning eyes it made me _very _uncomfortable.

"Well, first I was going to send a hawk to Tsunade depicting the plans we had started making at the meeting today, and then I was going to go out for a drink." I say, skirting around him before closing and locking my door.

"You're going to go out in that?" Kakkaku says, looking me up and down once more.

"Why not?" I ask, a little heat in my voice.

"You've left barely anything to the imagination." He mutters, and I catch the slight tint to his cheeks telling me that he's blushing.

"Well, I'm going out. And I'm a ninja and I have an inescapable friend to protect me, should I need it." I say, beginning to walk off.

"At least let me walk you." Kakkaku says quietly, and I give him a curious stare.

"Why are you so protective all of a sudden?"

"I didn't miss the looks you were giving Gaara." He says, frowning slightly. "And I don't trust him one bit."

"Well, who I happen to have romantic interests in is none of your business." I state, giving Kakkaku a hard stare.

He doesn't respond, but his eyes do reflect some anger at my words. I choose to ignore it, and we travel the rest of the way to the messenger house in silence.

When we arrive, I nod to the man on watch, and he eyes me hungrily. I ignore him and write out my message to Tsunade, then hand my letter to the man who has been leering at me from the corner.

"That needs to go directly to Tsunade of Konoha. It's not an emergency, so you don't need to send your fastest bird." I say, before spinning on my heel and walking off.

"Could you at least put a more conservative top on?" Kakkaku whines at me as we get nearer to the bar that I've sniffed out.

"Now where's the fun in that?" I ask, giving him a Cheshire cat grin before disappearing into the bar. It was small and not overly crowded, with only a handful of people dancing at the moment. I skirt around the dance floor and pull up a stool, flicking my finger at the bartender for service. I ask for sake, and he scuttles off, returning moments later with a white bottle and little shot glass.

"It's on the house." He says, before disappearing.

I raise my eyebrow and fill up the shot glass, before discreetly smelling the alcohol. Very rarely do I get it on the house and out of the three or four times it's been on the house, it's been spiked. This time however, I don't smell anything damning, so I throw back my head and drink it all down. The burn on the back of my throat feels good, and I fill my shot glass up again.

I'm on my third shot when someone decides to join me at the bar. He was decent looking with brown hair and dark eyes. I winked at him as I tipped my shot glass back, the cool alcohol passing my lips and again scorching my throat.

"So, the little lady knows how to drink." He comments, giving me an approving look.

"Well, if you knew who taught me, you wouldn't be surprised." I say, smirking as I pour out my last shot.

"Oh, and who taught you to drink like that?" The man pours himself a shot and we clink glasses and down the drink at the same time.

"Believe it or not, it was an old man." I say, thinking fondly of Jiraiya.

"A pretty thing like you hanging out with an old man?" He scoffs, before pouring each of us another drink.

"He was good company… Most of the time." I say, clinking glasses with the man again. Now me being only around one hundred and ten pounds soaking wet and after having five shots, I knew I was just about at my limit. If I had any more I would have a nasty hangover in the morning. The guy offers to pour me another shot, but I decline. "I do have things to do tomorrow. If I have any more I'll be too shit faced to do what needs getting done." I say with a smile, to take the sting out of my words.

"Would you like to dance then?" He asks.

"One dance." I say firmly, getting up from the stool. The guy takes my arm and leads me out onto the dance floor. I move to the music, a thumping bassy beat that soon has my blood singing. The guy is not far off, dancing and grinding behind me. By the end of the song, a light sweat has made my body glisten under the strobe lights, and a lot of male heads were turning now.

Pretty soon, I've danced with several different men, but that one guy from earlier intercepts me just about every other song, and I'm soon getting frustrated because I can't dance with anyone else. After he intercepts me for the fourth time, I stop dancing and put my hands on my hips, glaring at him. He stops dancing to look at me curiously.

"I would like to dance with other people. You don't have a claim on me." I growl, before turning my back on him and stalking off.

I make it about three steps when he grabs my arm, a wolfish grin on his face. I spin around to face him, and throw a punch at him, which he catches. He shakes his finger at me mockingly, and I force myself not to go all ninja on his ass. "I want to dance with someone else now." I shout to be heard over the loud music.

"But I'm not done dancing with you." He says dangerously, his grip on my arm tightening.

I glare at him, build my chakra in my feet, and move lightning fast, stomping my heel onto his toes. I hear a sickening crunch signifying broken bones, and the guy lets me go with a yelp. "I said I want to dance with someone else." I growl, and I turn to walk off once more.

I almost can't believe it when I feel his hand around my arm again. I turn and glare at him, readying myself for another punch. "Oh no you don't." He says, pulling me back against him and locking his arms around mine and lifting me off the floor.

"Put me down." I hiss angrily, struggling against his strong arms.

"I don't think so." He says, carrying me out of the bar. I close my eyes, breathing in deeply before exhaling. I think calmly about my situation, going through all the possibilities, but since my arms are pinned to my sides I don't have many options.

_Gobi. _I contact the white wolf, who I can feel worrying about my situation.

_This is bad Kira._

_I know, I know. Listen to me. I need you to find the closest person who knows me. Preferably Gaara, Kakkaku or Shikamaru. I'm strong, but I'm half this guy's size. There's no way I'm going to get away easily._

_Hang in there._

I feel Gobi leave, and I relax marginally. I hadn't brought my water skin, so I didn't have an available water source and I was in the middle of the desert, so it was going to be near impossible to drag water out of the ground or air. The only thing I can think of doing is going to be a stretch, but I decide to try it anyways.

I bite my tongue hard, then discreetly spit the blood on my summoning tattoo. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu." I mutter quietly, and am rewarded with Shikon jumping out of the smoke. He takes one look at me and my predicament before lowering his head and growling menacingly, his teeth bared in a snarl.

"Whoa…" My captor says, looking between me and Shikon, clearly debating whether or not going up against a wolf to keep me is worth it.

'Find Gaara' I mouth to Shikon, who immediately turns tail and runs, his long legs eating up the distance with long strides.

"Not even your pet wants to help you." The guy chuckles darkly as he carries me into the shadows.

* * *

A dark figure low to the ground alerts me and I look in its direction. Silvery eyes meet mine, and the shadow jumps up, landing neatly on the roof next to me. "Gaara." The wolf pants, his eyes looking behind him worriedly. "Kira-hime sent me. You have to help; some guy is carrying her through the shadier part of town."

I stand up and grab my gourd, slinging it onto my back. "What happened?" I ask as I leap after him.

"She smelled of alcohol, so I think she had some drinks. All I know is that she doesn't want to go with this guy, but he's carrying her with her arms pinned to her sides, making it impossible for her to use her hands." The wolf says, picking up his pace.

"How did she summon you then?" I ask suspiciously.

"She has a summoning tattoo. As long as she can get blood on it no hand signs are required."

I don't answer, just pick up my pace. This was not good. If she was at a shadier bar, then the chances of her getting abused or raped were good. "Can you go faster?" I ask, a slight growl in my voice.

The wolf turns to look at me, then full out runs, making me work to keep up. When we caught up to this guy he better say his prayers. No one messes with the people I consider close and gets away with it.

"This is where Kira summoned me." The wolf says, sniffing the air. "This way." He says, picking up the trail. Now the wolf had to move slower so he could track her scent carefully. I was getting impatient, and a weird feeling was churning in my stomach, something similar to fear, but I can't place the emotion. I haven't felt it in a long time.

_Finally I found you. _The presence of Gobi startles me, but I carefully school my features to look unfazed.

_Where's Kira? _I growl.

_She's about a mile away to the west. A guy is holding her in an abandoned house. She's okay so far, but when I left her again to find you she was being tied up._

_Tell her that help's coming._

Gobi didn't even leave with parting words, so something bad must be happening. "She's in an abandoned house about a mile to the west." I tell the wolf, who immediately shifts course and runs pell mell in the correct direction. After nearly a mile we slow as the wolf tries to pinpoint the correct location.

_You've got to hurry. _Gobi growls, which makes Shukaku get all riled up.

_Keep your tails on wolf, we're working on it. _The demon snarls.

_Well if you want her to get raped then take your sweet time._ Gobi growls at Shukaku before addressing me. _Gaara, the guy just drugged her with something, but whatever it is, it's disrupting my connection with her. This is the last time I can contact you. She has to let me out to speak with you, and the drug is forcing me back._

"Have you pinpointed the location yet?" I demand of the wolf I'm following.

"It could be one of two places." The wolf says, nodding at two dilapidated buildings that are side by side.

"Check that one." I say, pointing to the one on the left. "I'll look in the other one." I run for the building, stalking through the entrance. I carefully search the first floor and am about to go to the second floor, when a howl from the house next door has me rushing to get to where the howl came from.

As soon as I get in the house, the reek of blood assaults my nose. Shukaku grows restless at the smell, but I force him to quiet. I see the source of the blood, the wolf I followed is covered in it, a dead hawk summons dangling from its mouth. The wolf nods towards the stairs and I run up them two at a time.

If this guy hurt one hair on her head, he was a dead man. I repeat this mantra to myself for a second and third time before I finally find him, standing over Kira. Her eyes are open but unfocused. My sand reacts on its own, wrapping the guy from the neck down and applying deadly pressure.

"Oh, so the demon wants my prize?" The guy mocks and I glare at him.

Kira moves slightly, an almost glare forming on her face. I can tell she's having a really hard time staying with it. "He's not… a demon." She manages to get out.

"Honey, you know nothing about him." The guy says as he begins struggling to get out of my sand. He must be really drunk to not be afraid for his life at this moment.

"He saved me. That's… all that matters." Kira says, offering me a drugged smile.

"Now you die." I growl, my hand out as I begin closing my palm.

"No." Kira says sharply, and I look at her in confusion. "You'll be no better… than him."

I put my hand down and the sand slowly starts to release him. I go over to Kira and scoop her up in my arms. "Thank you, Gaara." She mutters before passing out in my arms. I turn and glare at the man still suspended in the air by my sand. I look around and find another syringe filled with a white fluid. I direct my sand over to it, and then I make my sand stab him with the needle before pushing the plunger down.

"Have a taste of your own medicine." I growl, before directing all the sand back into my gourd. He falls to the floor in a heap and glares at me.

"You don't know the trouble you just caused yourself." The guy says from the floor.

"Don't ever touch her again, she's _mine._" I hiss at him before leaving the house with Kira in my arms.

* * *

I wake in the morning in a room I don't recognize. I know it's not my room in Konoha, and I'm pretty sure it's not the room in my apartment in Suna… I try to remember what happened, but the last thing I really remember was summoning Shikon. I look down at my body, clothed only in my underwear and a man's black shirt.

_Fuck, was I raped? _I ask, but a chilling silence greets me. _Gobi!? _I ask worriedly, searching for him, but I can't feel his presence. _Damn it! _

I climb out of the bed, a king or queen size with black sheets and a dark red comforter. The floor was dark wood, and the walls were a perfect cream color. If I hadn't been so frightened I would have loved this room.

The black shirt I'm wearing goes down about halfway to my knees, and I'm thankful that it covers me decently. I open the door and peek my head out, but all is silent. I tiptoe out, masking my chakra to further make myself incognito. I'm about at the top to the stairs when I hear a door open. I bolt back to the room I came out of, closing the door quietly. If it was that guy from the bar, then I wanted to put as much distance between myself and him.

"I see you're awake."

I whip around, sliding into a fighting stance as I go, but almost immediately straighten up out of it when I see that it's only Gaara. I sigh in relief, then realize that I'm only wearing a shirt and try to cover myself, which makes Gaara give me an amused smile.

"How did I get here?" I ask, keeping my voice low.

"I brought you."

I nod my head, before a horrifying though crosses my mind. "Is this your shirt?" I whisper. Gaara nods an affirmative. "So… you undressed me?" I squeak, my face going deep red.

This time Gaara blushes, but his eyes don't leave mine as he nods yes.

"Then you saw my boobs?" I ask, my voice even higher pitched than before.

Gaara doesn't respond, but I know the answer. I didn't wear a bra with that lace shirt last night. "You… you…" I'm horrified beyond words. No man since I had hit puberty had ever seen any of the more private areas on my body.

"Gaara do you…" Temari's voice makes me look up and horror. She looks at me, then her brother, her face reddening and her eyes burning with fire as she looks at me again.

"No, Temari, no, it's not—."

"It's not what I think, yeah, I've heard that one before." Temari says, giving me the stink eye.

"Gaara, it's your fault, you tell her." I growl, crossing my arms and tapping my foot.

Gaara looks at Temari with that emotionless stare he has. "Kira went out drinking last night and got into some trouble."

"Uh huh." Temari says disbelievingly before shutting the door.

"Now she thinks I deflowered her little brother! Oh god, I'm going to be in so much trouble!" I say, getting back in Gaara's bed and pulling the covers over my head. "I'm just going to stay here in my mortification." I mumble.

"I thought we had to work on some more points for the treaty today?" Gaara asks, and I groan.

"Fuck, I forgot…" I say, pushing the covers back off me. "Ugh… Where are my clothes from last night?"

Gaara points at the neatly folded stack of clothes and I get out of bed. "I know you already saw my boobs, but just turn around, ok?" I say a little too sweetly. Once Gaara has his back turned I fly through putting my clothes on (which when Temari sees them will just confirm the fact that she thinks I'm a whore). I strap my heels on and stalk down the hall, where a guy with brown hair is standing, his back to me. I try to bolt back down the hall, but before I can even move he turns to face me.

I scream bloody murder, which makes Gaara rush out of his room. I immediately hide behind him. "It's the guy from last night!" I squeak.

Temari even pokes her head out of her room curiously.

"That's my brother." Gaara sighs and I blink at him.

"Kankuro?" I ask quietly.

"Uh, yeah." He says with a 'duh' face.

"But he looks like the guy from last night…" I mutter.

"Oh, I know who you mean, that guy you tried to deck at the bar." Kankuro says, and I stare at him dumbfounded.

"He tried to rape me you asshole." I growl, before stalking past him and heading down the stairs.

"Wait, what?" Kankuro asks, but I ignore him.

**AN: So… what do you think of Kira's first night in Suna? Leave a review and let me know!**


	16. Someone to Save You

_"Save you, save you  
Someone to save you  
What you need is  
Someone to save you"_

**Chapter 16: Someone to Save You (OneRepublic)**

"This trip was a waste." Kisame grumbles as they walk back through Earth country. He and his companion had spent the better part of three months trying to track down information on the five-tailed and the two-tailed jinchuriki. There was nothing other than rumors about the nekomata from her home village in Kumogakure, and no one could absolutely say for sure whether she was alive or dead.

Then there was Gobi and his host. She was killed in the last shinobi war. There was a grave there, and when they had inquired as to what had happened to the tailed beast, no one seemed to know. They even made a point of visiting the clan that summoned wolves, asking if anyone outside the clan had a contract. The members of the clan were hospitable enough to open the scroll and show them that in the last generation of summoners, there had been no one named 'Kira'.

"It was not. It proves our theory that Konoha has a monopoly on the jinchuriki." Itachi responds in a bored tone.

"I don't see how."

"There was not one iota of fact in anything we were told when it came to the two tails, meaning they most likely lost the host at some point in the past. Now the five tails… that's a different story. She was supposedly killed in the last shinobi war, and there is a grave but there is no body there, I checked. And I can't think of another way to summon wolves without needing a contract."

"I suppose you could be right…" Kisame says as he mulls this answer over. "At least it's something we can bring to _him_."

* * *

I bash my forehead lightly on my old wooden table repeatedly. I had drunk so much last night that my head was pounding, and I honestly felt like throwing up. If Kira had been here I wouldn't be half as hung over as I was, she always made sure I stopped. Truth be told, I missed my drinking buddy. Today I was wondering if she missed me.

Normally I was mean, and called her names, and picked on her. But I did that to everybody. When you grew up with an inescapable condescending cat making comments at you all the time, it was hard not to be molded to be similar. It was true that Kira's random bursts of energy and clinginess pissed me off, but I still loved her like a sister, and quite frankly, after over two months without her, I was missing her terribly.

I groan as I open my eyes and light from the window streams in to illuminate my face. I get up, staggering a bit, and pull out some aspirin and pour some water. Kira always told me to take a vitamin before drinking to lessen the effects of the alcohol and then take aspirin directly after drinking. I followed her advice when she was around or else she'd shove the pills down my throat, but last night I had decided that I didn't need to take them. I was wrong. I was so hung over it wasn't even funny.

I take the aspirin, then wince when a knock on my door has my head pounding ferociously. I make my way to the door and open it, squinting against the bright sunlight. "What do you want?" I grumble.

"Whoa. Are you ok Takai?" Naruto asks, squinting up at me.

"Quit talking so loud." I wince, rubbing my temples.

"Err, ok, I'll whisper then."

"No, you're still too loud." I grouch before throwing the door open and letting him in.

"That old lady and the Pervy Sage want to speak to us." Naruto says as he comes to stand in my entranceway. "They're at the Hokage tower."

"Tell Tsunade-sama that I'm sick." I say, flopping into a chair and tilting my head back, trying to stifle a wave of nausea.

"Drinking yourself sick doesn't count."

I flick my eyes to the door and glare at the white haired Sannin who has decided to make himself at home, even though he hadn't announced his presence and I hadn't invited him in.

"Ero-sannin! What're you doing here?" Naruto asks loudly, causing me to wince again. I throw one of my sandals at his head, and I smile weakly when it makes contact with the blonde's head.

"I'm making sure Takai actually goes to the tower. I have a feeling she'll try to give you the slip on the way over."

I glare at the old man and stick my tongue out at him. "Fine, let's go." I say, grabbing a pair of sunglasses and putting them on my face. "Just don't talk so loud."

"I think she's glaring at us." Jiraiya whispers conspiratorially to Naruto.

"Damn straight." I say, before stalking out of my house and heading for the Hokage tower. Thankfully the two loud mouths stayed quiet on the walk over to the tower, but as soon as we walked into Tsunade's office, Jiraiya slammed the door, and my head throbbed painfully.

"Cut that out." I hiss, sliding my sunglasses down my nose and narrowing my eyes at him.

"You were both called here for a reason." Tsunade says, interrupting what was going to be an awesome glaring contest. I turn my attention to Tsunade, pushing my sunglasses up my nose with my middle finger, discreetly flipping her off for interrupting my glaring contest.

"Are we getting an awesome mission!?" Naruto asks excitedly, bouncing around like a little puppy.

"Stop that." I mutter at him, attempting to trip him as he races by me to get nose to nose with the Fifth Hokage.

"The both of you need to sit still and listen!" Tsunade says loudly, slamming her hands on her desk for emphasis. I wince and restrain a glare as my brain tries to escape my skull.

"Now, since Kira has become the ambassador to Konoha, I have an important mission for you two." Tsunade eyes Naruto and I, staring at the each of us hard. "You will go to train with Jiraiya. The both of you together for one year, and then Takai, you will be brought back to the village to retake the chunin exam. Naruto, you will remain with Jiraiya for another year and a half, and then you will return to take the chunin exam. You won't be leaving immediately. I will allow you to wait for Kira to come back in two months, and after you say your goodbyes, you will then set out. In the meantime, Takai, you will fill in for Sasuke while he is recovering in the hospital."

"Ugh, if you say so, all powerful leader." I say in a mocking tone. "Now, if that's all, I'd really like to go home and sleep off this hangover."

In response Tsunade overturns her desk with a deafening bang. My head feels like it's splitting in two, and then the pressure in my head forces my body to throw up the entire contents of my stomach. As I look up at Tsunade, her mocking smile makes me want to murder her, but my body is wracked with dry-heaves, making me immobile. _Today's going to be a long day… _I think to myself as my stomach rolls over itself again in another dry-heave.

* * *

I sit sulking in the kitchen, a bowl of steaming miso soup in front of me, courtesy of Temari. The Sand Siblings are all seated around me, each one eyeing me in their own way. Gaara keeps glancing at me out of the corner of his eye, Kankuro is looking at me like I'm a choice piece of meat (thanks to the clothes from last night I haven't yet been able to change out of), and Temari is looking at me with a mix of concern and pity.

After I had grudgingly explained what happened last night, Temari's frigid treatment of me had done a complete one-eighty. Now she was casting my sympathetic glances whenever she could, and I was beginning to miss the old frosty Temari. I spoon a bit of soup in my mouth, and the tension around the table lessens slightly.

"After I'm done eating, I'll need to go home and change. Then I can come back to work on plans for the treaties." I say, looking at Gaara. He nods once in understanding.

I sigh in relief at the prospect of going home, and wolf down my soup, my speed rivaling that of Naruto or Choji. I don't miss the astonished looks I get from Temari and Kankuro. Gaara however looks his usual indifferent self.

"After that, I would like to spend the afternoon training. I want to perfect my water jutsu, and possibly train with Gobi's chakra. I used to train a lot with Arakita-sensei, but we haven't trained since before the Chunin Exams." I say, before picking my bowl up and drinking the last bit of soup. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go home for a bit." Before anyone can say anything, I disappear in a flurry of leaves.

When I reappear in my apartment, I'm bombarded by Kakkaku, who hugs me to him tightly. "Where were you?" He demands, holding me at arms length while giving me an angry stare.

"Uh, out drinking, remember?" I say sarcastically, squirming out of his grip.

"Were you so drunk that you went home with somebody?" His voice is accusing.

"No! I stayed over at the Sand Sibling's. I ran into Kankuro while I was out."

_Not entirely a lie… _I think to myself as I paw through my dresser drawers, ignoring Kakkaku who hovers like a nervous hen. I find an acceptable outfit for training, a black mid-rise tank top and black knee length shorts.

"Why are you in such a rush?" He asks, his eyes still smoldering with anger.

"I'm late to meet with Gaara about treaty ideas." I say, trying to duck around Kakkaku as he bars the way into the only bathroom.

"But I thought you stayed there last night."

I glare at Kakkaku in frustration. "Yes, but after a night at the bar, I would like to shower and change into a clean pair of clothes." I state, shoving him out of my way and slamming the bathroom door, making a point to lock it.

"You're impossible…" I hear him mutter, but choose to ignore him.

I start the shower, stripping down as I wait for the water to warm. As soon as it's the temperature I want I jump in. I waste no time in the shower today. My hair is washed with brutal efficiency, then my body gets the same treatment. It had to be the shortest shower I've ever taken. I turn the shower off and ring the excess water out of my golden blonde hair. I grab a fluffy white towel and dry off, starting with my hair, then my body. After I'm dry, I dress hurriedly, then tear a brush through my wet hair before bolting out the bathroom door, grabbing my black sandals on my way to the door.

"You're going to leave just like that?" Kakkaku asks from his position on the small sofa.

"Yes, I have things that need to get done. Go hang out with Shikamaru. I'll be back at dinner time." And with that I'm out the door and rushing over to Gaara's house.

When I get there, I don't bother knocking and just waltz in, much to the astonishment of Kankuro who stares at me in surprise as I kick my sandals off. "Take a picture, it'll last longer." I growl before leaving the entranceway and head for the living room that I had passed when I had stormed downstairs no more than an hour and a half ago.

Gaara is already sitting on the couch, pouring over a stack of papers. I flop down on the opposite side of the couch, sprawling my tiny frame out much like a guy does. "Ready to get started then?" I ask, looking over at him as he puts the paper he was looking at back on the coffee table.

"Yes." He says, his deep voice stirring something deep inside me as his eyes meet mine for a fraction of a second.

I hesitate, then sit up and pull over a blank piece of paper and a pen. "I was thinking that in addition to the teacher swap our village ambassadors should make routine visits, say every six months or so." I scribble the idea down as I talk, my mind very conscious of Gaara looking at me.

"Perhaps we should make it a week long stay every four months?" Gaara suggests, and I meet his eyes. He is looking at me with the weirdest expression, one I'm not used to seeing.

"O-ok." I stutter, adding this to the idea list while mentally kicking myself for stuttering. "I was also thinking about doing some kind of fair or contest for just Suna and Konoha, like annual games, for fun."

"That could be a good idea." Kankuro says, as he walks into the room.

"Get out, this is a private meeting." I say, glaring at him.

"Hey, I'm just walking through. Plus you guys are in the living room, which is public domain" Kankuro says, walking towards the stairs. "But the fair idea is a good one." Kankuro rushes up the stairs as I glare daggers at him.

When I turn back to look at Gaara, his lips are turned up in a small smile, something akin to a smirk, but his eyes are too soft for the expression. I can feel a slight blush tingeing my cheeks, and try desperately to cool the fire in my face.

"What do you think of the fair idea?" I ask Gaara, my blue eyes meeting his sea foam ones again.

"I think it could be good. We should take the chance to share our cultures during the fair too, so we can educate each other about our villages."

"How about a cultural fair then? We can prepare each village's more popular dishes and sell them at stands and organize games for the children that are specific to each village. I also think we should see about getting a travelling carnival to set up shop during the fair, to make it more fun."

"That could be good. We should present this idea at the next meeting."

"Dually noted." I say, cocking my head at him and smiling.

Gaara glances away, but there's an expression in his eyes I'm not used to, a softening, almost _caring _look, where before there had been none.

_That kid's falling for you. _A gruff voice whispers at me.

_Gobi! _I shout, ecstatic to have him back. _I was starting to get worried, what happened?_

_The drugs you were injected with interfered with my connection to you. It's come back, but it's weak, so it'll be awhile before I have the strength for anything._

_Damn. I wanted to train with your chakra today. _I pout, crossing my arms at the wolf.

_I thought you wanted a tour of Suna?_

_Oh, well, that would be nice too. Wait! What do you mean 'that kid's falling for me'?_

Gobi rolls his eyes at me. _Took you a minute to notice… But it's true. Gaara looks at you in a tenderness he doesn't look at anyone else with._

_You're lying. _I say quietly, not daring to hope that maybe my fondness for him is being returned.

_No, I'm not. You've even seen the look and wondered at it a few times now._

I peek at Gaara out of the corner of my eye as I pretend to add a note to the idea paper. He _is _looking at me with a soft expression, something different from how the guys back home look at me.

_You're right… _I mutter quietly.

_Of course I am. Now leave me alone. I'd like to rest since I spent all my energy repairing our connection._

_You old grump. _I whisper fondly before leaving him be. I sigh out loud, slumping into the couch, a goofy smile on my face.

"What is it?" Gaara asks, looking at me curiously.

"Well, those drugs had cut me off from Gobi, but he's back now." I say, standing up and offering Gaara my hand. He looks at it curiously. "Take me on a tour of the village?" I ask, offering him a soft smile.

I'm pleased when he takes my hand and allows me to help him up off the couch. "Ok." He says quietly, picking up his gourd and slinging it over his back.

"Perhaps we could go out to lunch too? I'm kind of hungry." I say, just as my stomach gurgles. I giggle when Gaara looks at my stomach with surprise on his face.

We leave and travel up and down the streets as Gaara points out different things about his village. We visit the training grounds, the cemetery and the main road where all the shops are. A clothing store with a black sleeveless zip up turtle-neck sweater catches my eye. The sweater was black wool, soft to the touch, with a silver zipper trailing all the way up to the high collar. It was made to fit snuggly, close to a second skin. As I look at the sweater and the other various clothing items displayed in the window, an idea for an awesome new outfit flitters out of the depths of my mind. The outfit would be more for intimidation than sexuality, and I didn't have many of them.

"Let's go in here." I say, pulling on Gaara's arm, oblivious to the villagers staring at me like I have two heads.

I make straight for the rack housing the sweaters and pull one out in my size. I try it on, leaving it unzipped at the base of my throat, the tall neck flowering out on both sides. I nod my head in satisfaction and head to the counter, grabbing a pair of black shorts made of a spandex like material. I place the two items on the counter.

"Will this be all?" The woman asks, before looking up. When she sees who's in her store, she pales considerably.

"Something wrong?" I ask, giving her an evil smile.

"N-n-no." The woman stutters, hurriedly looking away and adding up my purchase.

"Good." I say, making a point of linking my arm with Gaara's, getting extreme satisfaction out of the look of complete and utter surprise on the woman's face.

"That'll be five thousand yen." The woman says, bagging up my two purchases, her eyes looking everywhere but at me and Gaara.

"Here you go." I say, handing over the money.

"A-arigato." She says, bowing her head at me.

"C'mon Gaara." I say in a sugary voice, leading him out of the store.

While we had been in there I had noticed his cheerful look had drained and he was now wearing that emotionless mask again. "You ok?" I ask, glancing at him worriedly.

He doesn't respond, just keeps staring straight ahead.

"Would you rather go home to eat?"

His only response is to nod his head yes, and I know that the happy moment he had been having earlier was gone.

"Ok, we'll go home then." I say, offering him a smile.

Gaara hasn't completely lost his good mood, and he seems to perk up a bit as we get out of the shopping district. I swing my shopping bag carelessly back and forth as we walk, mostly because I have a hard time not fiddling when I'm not concentrating on something.

"We're back!" I say loudly as we walk in the door. I remove my sandals and head for the living room and grab up a piece of paper and a pen. I begin sketching my idea for my new outfit, concentrating so much on it, that when Gaara sits next to me on the couch I nearly jump out of my skin.

"What are you doing?" He asks, his sea foam eyes curious.

"Designing a new outfit!" I say, grinning at him before going back to my drawing. "Do you know a metal smith around here?" I ask.

"We have one on the other side of the village."

"Good, I'll need to visit him. I also need a store that sells fabrics and a sewing machine." I say, giving my drawing a once over, pleased with how the outfit looks.

"Temari has a sewing machine around here somewhere, and I think there's a fabric store back in the market district."

"Oh good! I'll get started on this tomorrow then." I grin like a Cheshire cat, then fold the paper up and stick it in my pocket. "Now for some lunch!" I say, walking merrily towards the kitchen.

* * *

Two months later, I'm back at home. I can clearly see the gates of Konoha ahead of me, and my heart leaps for joy. While the dessert was nice, I missed the green grass and trees and rivers, not to mention my friends. "Almost home." I sigh happily, picking up my pace and dashing through the wooded path.

As soon as my feet cross the threshold of the city I'm knocked aside by an overzealous blonde. We tumble through the dirt, laughing and giggling. "Kira-chan! I've missed you!" Naruto says happily as I hug him tight.

"I've missed you too!" I say, closing my eyes in joy. When I open them again, Takai is standing a little ways off, watching me. "Takai!" I shout, ditching Naruto to glomp my best friend.

Just as with Naruto, we fall to the ground, and Takai's laughter is music to my ears. She almost never laughed, and this was a rarity I enjoyed. "I missed you most of all." I whisper, just for her to hear.

"I missed you too." Takai says, squeezing me tighter before letting go and stepping back. It's then that I notice that both she and Naruto are carrying travelling packs.

"Going on a mission?" I ask.

"You could say that." Naruto says, grinning like an idiot.

"We're training with Jiraiya. I'll be gone for a year." Takai says, a look of sadness in her eyes.

"Not yet you're not!" Kiba says as he reaches us, panting.

"What do you mean not yet?" Naruto asks, crossing his arms grumpily.

"Sasuke's gone! Sakura said he left to find Orochimaru."

"What?" I ask, bewildered by this. He was the last person I'd suspect of defecting to the enemy's side.

"It's true; Tsunade asked Shikamaru to gather a team of ninja together to go get Sasuke back."

"Looks like I'm back just in time then!" I say, linking arms with Takai. "I'm sure Shikamaru wouldn't say no to any extra help."

"You're right, I wouldn't." Shikamaru says as he, Neji, and Chouji walk over. "There aren't many ninja in the village, so I'm only left with this rag tag team to go after Sasuke."

"Hey!" Kiba complains. "I am not rag tag!"

I giggle and reach up to ruffle his hair. "You are so rag tag." I say, earning myself a glare from the brown haired ninja.

"Guys, can we just concentrate on the mission?" Shikamaru sighs, rolling his eyes heavenward. "Tsunade said that I'm supposed to be the leader, which is such a drag…" Shikamaru says, looking as lazy as ever.

"You really think things will be ok if left in your hands? You don't look too reliable." Naruto says sassily.

"You're still a Genin Naruto." I sigh, rolling my eyes.

"You can't be the boss." Kiba says, smirking. "Although taking orders from a lazy bum doesn't make me happy either."

"Hey, I'm Chunin and I'm taking orders from Shikamaru so you all need to buck up." I say, crossing my arms.

"This means the elders have recognized the both of them as capable of leading a team." Chouji puts in.

"We need to come up with a strategy and plan. I've heard that there are enemies and that they'll probably be waiting to ambush us." Neji says.

"For a start, as this is a rescue mission, we will be in the position of pursuit, so the enemy can easily gain the initiative. I will decide on a deployment formation that has the ability to respond quickly to any enemy assault." Shikamaru turns his eyes to Naruto and gives him a hard stare. "If you ignore me and do what you want, we will all die." These words have the desired effect on the group, as most of them stiffen, and Naruto and Kiba gasp.

"First of all, the spearhead for this mission will be Kiba and Akamaru. You know the terrain and geography of the Land of Fire best because of your ninja hounds. Also, because your nose is so sensitive, you'll be able to track Sasuke. You'll also be able to find traps set by the enemy because they will smell like the enemy.

"Second in line will be me, the squad leader. I can give orders as required in any situation from my position directly behind Kiba, and give orders to those behind me with hand signals.

"In the middle will be Naruto and Kira. The both of you are capable of executing quick moves and will be able to respond to anything in front or behind. You both have also mastered the shadow clone, which will be a huge asset.

"Fourth will be Chouji. You don't have speed, but you have the best striking capabilities. Kiba, Naruto, Kira and I will be able to launch a surprise attack and you will be able to deal the deciding blow.

"Last in line will be Neji and Takai. You two are assigned the most difficult position of lookout. Neji, you will use your Byakugan to constantly check that there are no weak spots in the line-up. Takai, I hear you have a new ability that will be of use?"

"Well it's not perfected yet, but due to certain circumstances I can see ghosts. If there are any ghosts wandering in the woods I'll be able to contact them and ask for their help. They aren't always willing to cooperate however…"

"Any extra help is appreciated. Has everyone got it? Now, look at this…" Shikamaru takes out a pencil and a scroll and begins to draw. "Use this diagram to verify the radius of your assigned watch. Kiba has the front, and I have a wide view of the front. Naruto and Kira, you watch left while Chouji watches right. Neji and Takai, you cover our entire back half. I also want to check what each of you have for ninja equipment right now and commit it to memory so I can better decide the best course of action."

"I'm fully stocked with kunai, shuriken, my chakra blades, and my water skin." I say, pulling each item out to show Shikamaru. "I also have a new defensive outfit if you'd allow me a minute to change."

"Be quick. I'm going to check everyone else's equipment and then we're off." Shikamaru responds, turning to Neji to check his ninja equipment.

I poof back to my apartment and pull my pack off my back, then dump the entire contents on my bed. I strip down to my black lacy bra and matching underwear, and then pull on a pair of black spandex short shorts. Next I put on my sleeveless black sweater that clings like a second skin that I bought in Suna, zipping it up to the base of my throat so the collar flowers out. Then I put on the shoulder plate that I had made in Suna, which is now covered in soft black leather with a silver snarling wolf mounted onto the front of it. It attaches to my left shoulder, and has eyelets so I can hang my new black water skin from it. On my hands I put on black fingerless gloves that stop about an inch underneath my elbows. I attach my ninja tool holster to my left leg, then glance over my appearance in the mirror.

_Yup, Arakita-sensei would be proud of this outfit. _I think to myself, teleporting back to the main gates. As soon as the guys see me, they blush or turn away. Even Neji was blushing a light pink, though he tried to hide it.

"Oh come on, it's not that revealing." I say, putting my hands on my hips.

"Oh trust me, it's not the skin, it's the perfect way your shirt clings to your boobs." Takai says flatly.

"I'll take that as a compliment." I say smugly, crossing my arms underneath my boobs and pushing them up more.

"You are totally hopeless." Takai mutters, rolling her eyes.

"Guys, lets just get back on track." Shikamaru says, rolling his eyes skyward again. "This is such a drag." He mutters under his breath.

"Quit your whining." I say. "What's the first order of attack?"

"Before that, you all need to know something. Sasuke and I are not friends. It's safe to say that I don't even like him…" Shikamaru says before I interrupt.

"I don't like him either. He's a pompous jerk who thinks the sun should rise and set on him."

"As I was saying, I don't like him. But he is a Konoha ninja, and he is a comrade. Because of that I will put my life on the line to help him. That's the way of Konoha."

"I agree." I say, nodding my head once.

"All right, let's go."

As we all gather chakra into our legs to jump away, a loud voice makes us stop.

"Matte!" Sakura says, approaching us with sad eyes.

_Oh brother… _I sigh to myself, trying my best not to glare at the pink haired ninja standing in front of us. The more I thought about it, the more I came to the conclusion that I just didn't get along with other women. Sakura and Ino were the worst because of the way they fought over Sasuke. I didn't know Ten-Ten well, so I was cordial with her. Temari and I didn't start off on the right foot, and Hinata I could put up with, but she almost never bothered me.

"Tsunade-sama already told me everything." Shikamaru says to Sakura. "I'm sorry, but I can't take you along on this mission. He didn't even listen to you, right? All that's left is for us to force him to come back.

Sakura bows her head, and tears stream from her eyes. I roll my own towards the sky.

_How would you feel if Gaara left to join the enemy? _Gobi asks, eyeing me from his cage.

_Like I needed to save him, no matter what. _I respond, knowing exactly where this conversation was going.

_I guarantee you that's how Sakura and Naruto both feel, but Sakura shows her feelings differently than Naruto. Naruto regards him as a brother in arms, where as Sakura is in love with him. Sakura's heart is breaking right now._

_I don't care. _I say coldly, because I know he's right.

"Naruto… This is a once in a lifetime request… Please bring… please bring Sasuke back." Sakura gets out between sobs. "I couldn't do it! I wasn't able to make Sasuke stay! At this point the only one who would be able to stop Sasuke… is you Naruto."

"You like Sasuke so much, don't you Sakura-chan? I understand to my very core how painful it must be for you right now, Sakura-chan." Naruto says, plastering a fake smile on his face.

"Naruto… thank you…" Sakura says, tears still streaming down her face.

"I'll bring Sasuke back without fail. I promise on my life." Naruto says, giving Sakura a thumbs up.

"Be careful what you promise on your life." I hiss at him under my breath.

"I will bring him back Kira-chan." Naruto says to me determinedly. "I won't go back on my word. That's my ninja way!"

"Ok, ok." I say, putting my hands up and offering him a smile.

"Let's just hurry up and go." Takai says, her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. She didn't like Sakura either.

"We've lost some time, so we'll have to hurry." Shikamaru says, leaping off with the rest of us close behind him.

The hours melt away as we leap through the trees in the formation Shikamaru had decided on before leaving. It left me time to think while I scanned the woods as we ran. My first two months in Suna had gone over well. After the first initial meeting with the Suna Elders they took me and Gaara's suggestions quite well, and in my correspondences with Tsunade, she seemed to receive our ideas with an open mind as well. In six months would be our first Suna and Konoha cultural fair. Gaara and I spent the better part of last weekend trying to contact a fair that would be willing to divert from its normal route to set up in Konoha or Suna. The location hadn't been decided as of yet, but I was hoping that the Elders would agree to host it in Konoha.

Then there was how I was getting along with the sand siblings, particularly with Gaara. There was definitely chemistry between the two of us, and we had grown closer in the two months I had been there. It was safe to say that I was completely smitten, and maybe even in love with him. I spent half the week at his house in the spare bedroom if we happened to stay up late discussing treaty ideas. I only seemed to be at my apartment in Suna when I needed to shower or change.

Kankuro was pleased with my presence because it gave him someone to tease. Gaara didn't receive teasing very well and was still prone to glaring when Kankuro wouldn't stop. I however took it mostly in good nature and I only attacked him a couple of times. If he teased Temari she would either ignore him or withhold his meals, which was funny.

Temari tried to rope me into shopping trips and helping her cook. I didn't mind helping with the cooking because I was unusually talented when it came to cooking. I didn't want to go out shopping most of the time though. I liked to shop mostly when I had a new outfit idea or I wanted to plan one. Otherwise I could do without shopping.

Gaara didn't invite me to do anything, except once the night before I left. He asked if I'd like to join him on the roof and watch the stars. When I followed him up to the roof, I had been amazed at how clear the sky was. It was beautiful and Gaara and I spent most of the night pointing out different constellations. We had sat close, the desert nights were extraordinarily chilly, and our shoulders brushed whenever one or the other of us fidgeted. I drifted off at some point, and was awakened by the morning sun's rays caressing my face. I blinked my eyes open only to stare up into Gaara's face, his eyes watching me intensely. Some time in the night, after I had fallen asleep, he had gently moved me so my head was cushioned against his left leg. I remember blushing deeply, embarrassed and happy, because he had watched over me all night.

The three siblings had walked me to the gates of Suna. I shook Kankuro's hand, hugged Temari, and after a second's hesitation had hugged Gaara tightly. He had stiffened at first, but then relaxed, and I was deeply satisfied when he had lightly returned the hug. When I glanced at Kankuro and Temari both of them were staring with open mouths, and I had giggled quietly. "I'll miss you." Were my parting words to him, and then I was off, running through the desert on my way home.

"Shikamaru!" I'm broken out of my thoughts when Kiba suddenly speaks up.

"What is it?" Shikamaru asks.

"There's a smell of blood nearby."

"That's not a good omen…" I mutter as I renew my efforts to spot enemy ninja.

"The five scents that we're following are travelling away from the blood."

"Not good, he has guides." Shikamaru says, as we continue running through the trees.

"What should we do?" Takai asks from the back.

"Let's hurry up and pursue Sasuke!" Naruto pipes up.

"Shut up Naruto." Kiba yells. "That's for Shikamaru to decide, not you."

"Why don't we all just not fight." I say.

"Shikamaru?" Chouji asks.

"The fact that there's the smell of blood probably means that a battle occurred somewhere. If we go to that location we should be able to gather information. We must be attentive as we near the location, so we will switch over to a reconnaissance pattern and approach walking slowly."

"While all that's going on Sasuke will cross over the Land of Fire border!" Neji says, a look of worry crossing his face.

"What are we going to do Shikamaru?" Naruto asks, eager to jump into some action, as usual.

"All right, we'll pursue Sasuke!"

"Yes! That's what I was waiting for!" Naruto says gleefully.

"However, the fact that they just had a battle means that they'll have their guard up." Shikamaru continues. "They'll definitely be aware that there might be Ninja on their tail. The odds are high that there will be traps or an ambush. From here on out you need to use your senses to the fullest extent. We need to locate those guys before we get caught in an ambush."

"When we find them I'm going to use my new jutsu to clobber them." Naruto says, his eyes glinting.

"I'm glad to see you haven't changed one bit." I say, sweat dropping.

"Hey, the enemy's smell is everywhere!" Kiba says worriedly and Akamaru yips in agreement.

"Everybody! Stop!" Shikamaru yells, which grinds our precession to a halt. "Everyone look up."

We all do as we're told, and I see a paper bomb plastered to a tree. _Paper bombs? _I ask myself.

"There are five of them around us, and from the formation I'd say that it's a Perimeter Barrier." Neji says.

"It's a type of booby-trap ninjutsu." Shikamaru says in answer to Chouji and Naruto's confused looks.

"Damn. That means our only choice is a detour." Takai says, huffing in exasperation.

* * *

Several hours later we were still trying to get around booby traps. Every thirty minutes or so we would find a new one that we would have to carefully navigate, and Kiba was starting to get frustrated with how little progress we were making.

"Damn, it's nothing but traps." He complains.

"Yeah, but the enemy seems pressed for time. There are noticeable flaws in the traps."

"Hey Naruto, there's a wire by your feet." Kiba says.

"Yeah, I know." Naruto replies boredly as he steps over the wire.

"Matte! Naruto!" Shikamaru shouts in a panic.

Naruto suddenly freezes in an awkward position that shouldn't be possible, and I notice that Shikamaru has used Shadow Possession to keep Naruto from stepping on a second more hidden trip wire.

"What were you just saying about the traps being sloppy?" I giggle, which makes Takai laugh as well.

"You spoke too soon Shikamaru." She says, her eyes dancing with laughter.

"Damn that was close." Shikamaru says, before glaring at us. "You two aren't funny… And you Naruto, I TOLD YOU TO BE CAREFUL!"

"Fuck, you've pissed him off Naruto. I didn't think it could be done." I say, still giggling.

"You got that right." Takai puts in, making the pair of us laugh more.

Once Shikamaru gets Naruto out of the dangerous position, we all crouch around the wire while Shikamaru inspects it. "I see now. The first wire is easily visible because it reflects the light, but the second wire is painted a dull green, making it harder to spot."

"It's a double trap." Neji says, standing back up.

"Yes, how very clever of them." I say with a sigh, before I stand back up as well.

"Despite it being a fast trap, it's definitely elaborate." Shikamaru says.

"Which means that they're at rest." Neji says, looking off into the woods. "Perhaps they were injured, or that itself is a trap…" With that, Neji activates his Byakugan and scans all around us for the enemy.

Taking a lead from Neji, Takai closes her eyes, and I know she's searching for ghosts in the area she can talk to.

"Got them!" Neji says after a moment, and Takai's eyes fly open.

"All right! I'll drag Sasuke back without fail!" Naruto says determinedly.

"Naruto, I hate to tell you, but I'm going to demonstrate my new jutsu right here!" Kiba says, smiling.

"Me too." Chouji says, a look of determination on his face.

"When did this become a pissing contest?" I ask sarcastically.

"Don't be so hasty." Shikamaru says, giving the three boys a hard stare. "As soon as preparations have been made for my plan to be implemented, we'll make direct contact with the target."

We all have a seat on the ground as Shikamaru goes over his plans with us, eating up about fifteen or twenty minutes of precious time. "Does everyone understand their part in the plan?" Shikamaru asks. We all nod yes, and Shikamaru smiles smugly. "All right, it's time to move out."

We split up, and Takai and I go in together, carefully skirting traps or what we think might be traps. We find a pretty good vantage point and watch the four enemy ninja quietly, masking our presence. Sudden movement from the enemy has us both tensing and we stare in disbelief as first Neji and Shikamaru are flushed out, then Naruto, Chouji and Kiba.

"They didn't hide too well." I whisper to Takai, who nods in agreement. I watch as Kiba throws a smoke bomb, allowing time for them to beat a hasty retreat. When the smoke clears however, the three haven't moved, and everyone looks a little battered.

"Can you hear what they're saying?" Takai asks.

"No, but I can put chakra in my ears to try and hear better. The only downside is that it'll become harder to mask my presence… Although, I could send Gobi."

"Do it."

"Alright." _Gobi? Can you go sit in Naruto's head and listen in on what they're saying? And don't pick any fights with Kyuubi._

_Fine. Spoilsport._

I can see on the battlefield that Shikamaru has successfully trapped the four enemy ninja in his Shadow Possession, but he only has a maximum of five minutes before he starts to become too drained chakra wise.

His triumph is short lived when three shuriken come from behind and distract Shikamaru enough for him to lose the jutsu. When the enemy begins using a jutsu, all thoughts of staying concealed leave my brain. "Cover me." I hiss to Takai before leaping from the tree we had concealed ourselves in. We both land next to our comrades just in time to be enclosed in an earth dome.

"Why did you do that?" Shikamaru asks, and I can tell he's trying very hard not to yell at me.

"Because, I wasn't going to let my comrades get sucked into a trap." I say, crossing my arms. "Before I continue, you all need to swear to secrecy. This is the best kept secret in Konoha, so don't you _dare _tell anyone, or I will kill you."

"Kira, Tsunade will kill you." Takai hisses.

"I know, but I will save my friends. Now is everyone in agreement?"

"Yes." Everyone choruses, and I grin evilly. "Excellent." I loosen Gobi's seal, and his chakra flows through me. The henge on my canine teeth disappear, and my eyes burn as they turn yellow. The chakra molds me as I drop to all fours, white fur coating my body, and five tails sprouting out of the base of my spine.

"Holy shit!" I hear Kiba say, then smell his fear.

"What are you?" Neji asks as he looks me up and down with his Byakugan.

"She is the container for the five tailed wolf spirit, Gobi." Takai says as my body finishes transforming. I now look like a small white wolf with burning yellow eyes and five tails.

"This jutsu that we're trapped in will slowly drain your energy. You will need my help to get out." My voice comes out deep and growly. "I will use my tail with the earth element to drill a hole through this dome. I will need help weakening the spot I choose with taijutsu or ninjutsu. Has everyone got that?" When I get nods from all of them, I carefully sniff around the perimeter, and find the weak spot at the very top of the dome.

My earth tail turns into a rock as sharp as a diamond, and I begin drilling a hole in the top. "Now, hit it with everything you've got."

"Human Boulder!" Chouji shouts, becoming a large spinning mass that decimates the dome we're trapped in. I quickly revert back to my human form, securing the henge on my teeth once again. By the time everyone has stumbled out of the dome, I'm back to my normal human self.

_Thank you Gobi._

_No problem, twerp._

"Thanks for getting us out of that mess." Shikamaru says.

"Eh, don't thank me, but if you thank Gobi, it's going to go to his head." I say, offering a smile.

"Chouji, I know it's a sacrifice, but can you stay here and defeat this opponent?" Shikamaru asks. "We have to chase down the other three."

"Of course. I can take him no problem."

"Good, the rest of you, move out!" And we are flipping through the trees again, following Kiba's nose.

And slowly as the day goes by, the enemy slowly picks out group apart to fight one on one, or two on one with us. Takai decides to branch of with Kiba, and Shikamaru decides to Send Neji out, before finally needing to face his own opponent, leaving me and Naruto to go on ahead.

In a clearing we come upon a man who uses his bones for weapons, and though we fight him for several hours, he is a really tough opponent. Even when Lee shows up to lend a hand, we're still dreadfully outclassed.

"Naruto, you go on ahead!" I shout as I slash at my opponent with my chakra blades. "You need to convince Sasuke to come back!" I dodge another bone attack, and Lee leaps in with a flurry of punches and kicks.

"Hai! Kick his ass guys!" Naruto shouts before darting off.

Lee and I fight until we nearly collapse in exhaustion. We square off shoulder to shoulder, standing in a defensive line as the white haired ninja runs at us, his arm drawing back for a punch. I brace myself for impact, but instead I feel myself floating back, and I am deposited safely on the ground. I look up into familiar sea foam eyes, and nearly cry in relief.

"Gaara." I say happily as I get to my feet and hug him tightly. I even give him a light peck on the cheek before I sit down heavily. Gaara gives me a small smile, and I return it with one of my own. "I've missed you."

"I missed you." He says so quietly that I almost don't hear him.

"Just give me five minutes, and I can help out. I need to replenish myself with Gobi's chakra."

Gaara nods his head once at me, then moves to square off with our opponent.

* * *

**AN: So… I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long… Our plans to move out west have finally been put into motion and I've barely had two minutes to myself lately. As an apology I wrote this extra long chapter, and I hope to update again soon.**


	17. Forfeit

_"'Cause I want to fight,  
I want to fight,  
I want to prove I'm right.  
I want to fight,  
I want to fight,  
So turn and forfeit."_

**Chapter 17: Forfeit (Chevelle) **

Damn I had missed Gaara (even though it had only been about four days), and his appearance here had been a welcome relief, allowing me a chance to rest and use Gobi's chakra to replenish what I had lost, and give me a chance to catch my breath. I sat behind him at the edge of the forest, and watched as Kimimaro tried to find a weakness in Gaara's sand armor.

"You…" Gaara says, glancing behind him at Lee. "You had more sharpness and speed when I fought you."

"That's easy for you to say. It's not that I'm holding a grudge, but I had a pretty tough time of it because of you." Lee says as he stands back up.

"You completely crushed his arm and leg. There was a huge chance that he wouldn't be able to be a ninja anymore." I say, glancing sympathetically at Lee.

"I see." Gaara says as he glances at me.

"But, why you?" Lee asks.

"Because, I owe the Leaf a lot." Gaara says simply, glancing back at me. I smile at him, and his lips twitch up slightly before he goes back to watching Kimimaro, who is raising his hand to use the same attack with his finger bones that he had used a moment ago. Gaara scowls at him and uses his sand to rush in. Kimimaro leaps away, then launches his attack, only to have it be deflected once again.

He continuously dodges the sand, while managing to shoot his finger bones at Gaara every chance he gets. I watch as Kimimaro's eyes quickly take everything in, before landing, meeting Gaara's sea foam eyes with his golden ones. "Sabaku no Gaara. That's a stupid nickname; you're nothing without the sand." He says, trying to goad Gaara.

"It's not stupid!" I shout, leaping to my feet, my fists clenched. I was feeling less fatigued now, so I flipped up the cap on my water skin before moving to stand next to Gaara. "It's a fitting nickname, and he's a better man than you'll ever be!" I shout angrily.

"Thanks." Gaara says quietly and I give him a dopey smile.

"You're welcome. Ready to take this douche down?" I ask.

Gaara nods his head once.

"Then let's go." I say, my eyes flashing as I send my water out towards Kimimaro at the same time as Gaara sends out his sand.

Kimimaro was moving double time as he dodged my water and Gaara's sand, but the little slices here and there that appeared on his skin was all the evidence needed to know that he wasn't completely avoiding our attacks.

Gaara distracts Kimimaro with his sand shower, while making the sand in the ground wrap around his legs, effectively holding our opponent still. "As long as I have sand I can do anything. You're the one who's lame. It's easy for me to do things like create sand out of dirt."

"You tell him!" I say happily, as I direct water into Kimimaro's nose and mouth in an attempt to drown him.

Gaara's sand continues to encase Kimimaro, and once he's completely covered, Gaara raises his hand and closes his fist with finality. Little specks of blood seep out of the sand, and I carefully bring my water back, taking care to drain every drop of water from Gaara's sand so it wouldn't be a hindrance to him.

"I'm reminded of Sasuke when I look at this guy." Gaara says coldly, and I can tell that there are still some bitter feelings there.

"I know what you mean. It's the expression in the eyes." I say, meeting Gaara's sea foam ones.

"Exactly." He says as he studies me. "Why weren't you using your water when I got here?"

"To tell you the truth, I was on the verge of using it. I just wanted to utilize every other available resource first. I want to use my water as a last line of defense and attack. It's always good to have a back up plan." I say, smiling tiredly. "Thanks for helping, we were nearly decimated." I add, kissing Gaara's cheek lightly. "Let's head back so we can regroup with the others."

As I link my arm with Gaara's and begin turning away, the sound of sand falling to the ground has me turning back, and what I see shocks me. Kimimaro is climbing out of the sand coffin, and on his skin are black lines forming almost like a zig zagging puzzle design. "What the hell? I thought for sure he was dead. I even used my water to drown him." I state in astonishment.

"That's quite impressive. I would have been flattened if I hadn't created a layer of bone just beneath the skin. And you," Kimimaro says, turning his eyes to me, "that's quite a nasty trick you have with water."

Gaara narrows his eyes at him, glaring. "Bones… That guy's a monster too." Gaara says flatly.

"If you're a monster then I'm a monster too." I say, looking at Gaara defiantly and crossing my arms. "There should be no 'too' at the end of that sentence." I say with passion, daring Gaara with my eyes to disagree. I have to say that this disagreement is one we had often in my two months in Suna, and I had yet to convince him that he wasn't a monster.

"Guys, could we maybe just focus on our opponent?" Lee asked, glancing at us worriedly.

"I underestimated you the first time. But I won't be caught in your sand again," Kimimaro says as his eyes meet with Gaara's, "or your water." He adds flicking his eyes over me.

Gaara's immediate response is to slide into a more stable fighting stance while flying through hand seals. A huge wave of sand gathers in front of Gaara, Lee and I, and the force of it has my blonde hair whipping about my face. It towers over us, barreling towards Kimimaro. Because the sand wave was so huge, I couldn't see what was happening on the other side, and I wanted to help, but I didn't want my water to get in the way of Gaara's sand.

The sand flows fast and viciously across the meadow we had been standing in and streams into the forest, tearing up trees and knocking them aside. Kimimaro is nowhere to be seen in the torrent.

"You… you did it." Lee says, amazed.

"Not yet." Gaara replies as he kneels on the ground and thrusts his hands into the sand. Giant shockwaves ripple through the remnants of the sand wave, sending me off balance for a moment, and I know that Gaara has just used his signature sand burial technique.

"Way to go Gaara!" I say, smiling at him and brushing his shoulder with my fingers. He looks up at me with an unhappy look.

"He's persistent." Gaara says, as he scowls across the sand.

I follow his eyes out over what could be a good copy of the desert, and am shocked by what I see. A dinosaur like creature that could only be Kimimaro is emerging from the sand, bones stuck out at odd angles from his back.

Gaara raises his arms into the air, his fingers curled halfway into fists, and the sand surrounding the dinosaur creature swirls up as it tries to recapture him. Gaara closes his fists as he tries a regular sand coffin, but all it does is slow Kimimaro. I watch in horror as his foot breaks through Gaara's sand, followed by the rest of his body. He charges at us, and this time, I lend a hand, no longer concerned with staying out of the way so as not to bog down his sand.

My water streams out of my black water skin, surrounding me protectively before I let it lash out fast as lightning. It strikes Kimimaro like a whip, opening up slices in his skin wherever my water touches, the white of his bones showing through the wounds.

Gaara has risen to his feet, his right arm outstretched as he tries to catch our opponent in his sand. He alternates arms, closing his fists swiftly in an attempt to trip up the charging Kimimaro. But between both of our attacks, Kimimaro still manages to draw closer, nothing but determination in his eyes.

Gaara throws up a sand wall, but Kimimaro easily crashes through it. He throws his shoulder into Gaara's stomach and sends him flying. He lands about twenty feet away, a cloud of sand enveloping his body.

"Gaara!" I shout, before glaring at Kimimaro.

"So that's the extent of the rumored 'Absolute Defense'?" Kimimaro asks mockingly, glancing uncaringly towards where Gaara had landed. "And do I detect affection for Suna's weapon?" He asks, turning to me, his eyes hard and dangerous.

"Fuck off." I snarl, pulling out my chakra knives and channeling my wind chakra nature into them. I charge immediately, my black blades shining as I lash out. Kimimaro forces his bones to grow, in an attempt to keep me from getting within striking distance. At the last second I switch from wind to lightning, willing the element to lengthen into a strong sharp bolt. It arcs from the tip of my chakra blade, making direct contact with Kimimaro's chest. He is blown back a considerable distance, but he stands up immediately, hardly winded.

"How disappointing the three of you are."

Gaara looks back at Kimimaro, glaring, his eyes like stone flints as he stares down Kimimaro.

"I see; you were wearing the sand." Kimimaro says, watching Gaara.

"They are not your only opponents. I'm here too!" Lee says, appearing behind Kimimaro and engaging him in Taijutsu. He throws a kick, and is easily tossed aside by the transformed Kimimaro, who raises his dinosaur like tail in a final blow. Gaara blocks most of the attack with his sand to protect Lee, but the black haired ninja is still sent flying. Gaara takes another strong stance next to me, and I slide into my own fighting stance, my water flowing restlessly behind me.

"Annoying sand… You're first Gaara." Kimimaro says threateningly, his eyes hard.

"I'd like to see you try!" I growl as I feel that familiar prickle in my eyes.

"It's ok Kira." Gaara says quietly, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I'll be ok."

"Promise me." I whisper, my eyes roaming all over his face, taking in every handsome feature.

"Promise." He says simply, before moving to stand in front of me. Satisfied with that one word I back up slightly, and let Gaara take over.

Kimimaro pulls out his spinal column and uses it like a whip. Gaara makes his sand encase his body protectively as Kimimaro's spinal column begins to wrap around him. Kimimaro then grows a sharp bone around his arm, and I shiver, holding onto the promise that Gaara made to me.

"A bone of the strongest calcification. It will pierce you, sand armor and all." Kimimaro says triumphantly, coughing once. My eyes zero in on that action, and I see a few flecks of blood around his mouth.

Gaara's sand leaps up, encircling Kimimaro's spine whip, taking the shape of Shukaku. "Ultimate Defense: Shukaku's Shield."

Kimimaro throws his bone covered arm into Gaara's shield, throwing sand everywhere. Kimimaro pushes through, inch by inch, and Gaara scowls with hatred and concentration. Finally, the bone on Kimimaro's arm begins to crack and disintegrate, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

"It's hard." Kimimaro mutters to himself.

"I gathered the minerals that were the hardest from the ground, applied pressure with chakra, and mixed them into the sand." Gaara says in a monotone. "That unusual Jutsu… it's a Kekkei Genkai isn't it?"

"The Kaguya Clan, the ability which I alone possess…" Kimimaro says, his golden eyes hard.

"The last of your clan huh?" Gaara asks in a condescending way. "Then it'll die out here, today."

"Indeed, that might happen. Due to sickness, my body will not last long, but the clan will not die out. Besides, I am not alone."

"Not alone you say?"

"That's right. As an existence shouldering one part of Lord Orochimaru's ambition, I will remain inside Lord Orochimaru's soul for all eternity."

I watch as the two talk, hoping that this impasse will not last long so Gaara can finish Kimimaro off. I thought of Naruto, and hoped that he had managed to catch up to Sasuke by now. If anyone had a chance at convincing Sasuke to stay, it would be Naruto.

"Orochimaru's brainwashing, huh?" Gaara asks, his voice carrying no hint of compassion. "You're a pitiful guy." Gaara raises his hands in front of his face and most of the Shukaku Shield falls to the ground. Some sand remains on Kimimaro's spinal column whip and forms into a fist, tugging at the binding holding Gaara. The whip is thrust away and quicksand forms underneath Kimimaro, swirling in circles as it pulls him down. Kimimaro struggles to get away, but his efforts are in vain.

"You are something…" Kimimaro growls out, his golden eyes glaring angrily.

"I'll sink and confine you two hundred meters in the ground." Gaara says just as Kimimaro's head is about to disappear into the sand. "By the pressure of the sand stuck to your body, you soon won't be able to move, not even a finger."

Kimimaro disappears below the ground, and soon the sand stops swirling. "You did it!" I shout, punching the air happily. I run over and wrap my arms around Gaara's neck in a fierce hug, before kissing him on the cheek and letting go. Gaara's hard expression doesn't change as he continues watching the sand, even when Lee congratulates him.

His look of indifference turns to disbelief and shock an instant before white bones begin springing up everywhere. The bones materialize fast barreling towards all of us. Gaara sends us floating into the air on two pedestals of sand, one for Lee, and one for Gaara and I.

"He was persistent, but this is the end. He won't ever come out again." Gaara says, his expression troubled.

"It's ok Gaara." I say, brushing my fingers over his shoulder, down his arm, and entangling them with his fingers. I raise his hand up to my mouth and kiss the back of it lightly. "I'm glad you're all right."

Gaara slumps against me. "I'm at my limit. We're getting off…"

"It's not brainwashing!"

I turn in shock to see Kimimaro inside one of the bone trees, his arm encased in the deadly drill shaped bone again. I move to stand in front of Gaara, pushing him down behind me as I glare at Kimimaro.

"Lord Orochimaru understands me!" Kimimaro rears up, drawing back his bone encased arm. "What do you guys know!?" He thrusts his bone weapon at me, and I stand tall, ready to take this hit for Gaara.

"I love you Gaara." I whisper as I close my eyes and brace myself for impact. Suddenly I'm tugged from behind and I feel myself falling; my eyes fly open as I land against Gaara. Kimimaro has stopped, centimeters from where my face had been, and blood drips out of the corner of his mouth. My eyes travel up, and I'm relieved when I see his golden eyes have lost their light.

"He's dead…" Lee whispers with relief and horror.

With the last of his chakra, Gaara deposits our sand rafts on the ground under the shade of a tree. I help him take off his gourd and pull him against me, then massage soothing circles on his skin wherever I can reach.

"I would have been totally hammered." Gaara says, staring off into the distance.

"That's not the case." Lee says, glancing over at us. "My Sensei said it often; luck is a part of strength."

"That backseat driver?" Gaara asks in a monotone.

"Gaara!" I say, nudging him in the ribs with my elbow. "That was incredibly rude!"

"He is not a backseat driver!" Lee says angrily. "It's because I wasn't good enough when we fought in the exams. I'm grateful for you saving Kira-san and I, but please don't talk like that about my Sensei!"

Gaara stares off broodily, lost in his own thoughts.

"You should apologize." I whisper to him, but he doesn't respond.

* * *

The next day is hot and sticky. I go about getting my apartment clean, enjoying the reprieve from my duties as ambassador. It's not that I was messy, but after two months with no cleaning, my house was rather dusty, and, much to my horror, spiders had decided my apartment was a good place to live. Once I had cleaned as much as I could without touching the spiders I left to find a friend who wasn't as squeamish who could deal with the buggers.

As I walked the streets I bumped into Kakashi, who looked happy to see me. He was being his normal lazy self with his nose stuck in an Icha Icha book. "Ohayo." I say, smiling up at him.

"Kira, did you know that Lady Tsunade was looking for you?" He asks, never once taking his eyes off his book.

"Well, I know now, don't I?" I say, cocking my head to the side and smiling once again. "I better go see what she wants before she chews me up and spits me out."

"Good luck, then." He says, walking off and tossing a wave over his shoulder. I roll my eyes and head toward the Hokage tower, wondering what Tsunade could possibly want.

"Come in." Is the response I get when I knock, so I open the door and bow to the blonde woman in front of me. "Ah, Kira. Close the door please."

I do as she asks, then walk to stand in front of her desk. "What can I do for you Tsunade-sama?"

"I've just received an interesting letter from Suna."

"Oh?" I ask, befuddled. Nevertheless my heart starts beating a little faster; worried I had somehow done something wrong in my duties.

"You may read it if you wish." Tsunade says, handing the scroll to me. I take it gingerly and begin reading.

_Lady Tsunade,  
We, the council of Elders of Suna, have been discussing an additional piece to be put in the contract to ensure the alliance between Konoha and Suna stays strong. This has not been brought up by either your ambassador or Gaara, our future Kazekage. This discussion has only been between the elders, and because of a landslide vote of eight to two we have decided to ask your permission for an arranged marriage between your ambassador, Kira, and Gaara. We feel that she has been a bright light in Gaara's life these past two months, and it has brought about changes we never thought could occur in Gaara. It would certainly help his ascent to Kazekage, and the villagers have welcomed her quite warmly. If this union is granted we will allow Kira to continue being a Konoha ninja and ambassador, however her first loyalty would be to Suna. If she should have any children born to her through the union then they will also be allowed dual status as Suna ninja first, then Konoha ninja. We hope you carefully consider this union and agree to it.  
The Suna Council of Elders_

"Are they serious?" I whisper, looking at Tsunade in astonishment as my mouth hangs open in a rather unbecoming way.

"It appears that they are."

"What did you say?" I ask, terrified of, yet anticipating the answer.

"I haven't given one." Tsunade says simply as she studies me. I don't know whether to sigh in relief or pout. "I wanted to ask you what you thought."

"Well, I…" I trail off and seriously think about what is being asked of me. "I want to know where you stand on all of this." I say, waving my hand in the direction of the scroll which is now on Tsunade's desk.

"I have my reservations about it. For one, they don't know you are a jinchuriki, correct?"

I shake my head no. "The only ones who know are Gaara, his brother Kankuro, and his sister Temari."

"And you're sure they haven't said anything?"

"Yes, they're trustworthy."

"Another thing I wanted to know is how you feel about Gaara." Tsunade says, eyeing me.

"Well, I'm definitely attracted to him. He makes me happy; my heart beats faster in excitement when I see him. Despite his emotionless mask, he has a lot of depth to him. He's kind and considerate, at least with me, and he's rather shy a lot of the time." I say, giggling slightly at a specific memory of me telling him that I liked him more than a friend and him blushing slightly in response.

"And how do you think he feels about you?"

"Well, I like to think that he likes me. He shows it in little gestures like offering to file my paperwork with the Elders or asking if I'd like to go for a walk. It seems very domestic, but he's relatively new to feeling his emotions. The sweetest thing he's done is ask me to sit on the roof and watch the stars with him."

"Lastly, I want to ask how you feel about becoming a Suna ninja for the rest of your life."

"Well, I guess it would be hard, but I'll be allowed dual citizenship so I'll be able to come home every once in a while. I'd definitely miss Konoha and all the people in it; however two of my best friends are leaving with Jiraiya, while the other will be on missions. I don't see eye to eye with most of the most recent academy graduates, especially because I'm four years older than most of them." I say, as I think about it.

"Yet the age difference between you and Gaara isn't bothersome?"

"We're about three years apart, and our birthdays are only a couple weeks apart. Mine is January sixth, his is the nineteenth. Seventeen and twenty seems like such a huge gap because the word teen makes you think of a minor, but in three years it'll be twenty and twenty-three, which doesn't sound nearly as bad. He's older than his years most of the time anyways." I ruffle my hair as I think about it, letting out a breath of air as I sigh. "I really do think that I love him. I know for sure I have affection for him, but this affection runs deeper than any affection I have for anyone else."

"I see." Tsunade says, offering a small smile. "I think I have enough to give Suna an answer."

"Which is?" I ask.

"Well, I'm thinking no because you're a valuable asset to this village, but I still have Naruto and Takai, who are just as valuable in their own ways, and since Suna doesn't know of your value, I'm confident with giving them a… yes." Tsunade says, keeping me on pins and needles as she pauses before the word 'yes'.

I sigh in relief and smile. _I hope that Gaara takes this news well…_ I think to myself as Tsunade dismisses me.

_I'm sure he'll take it fine. _Gobi says, chuckling at my nervousness.

* * *

Baki sighs in relief when he receives the long awaited message from Tsunade regarding the scroll they had sent days ago. The delay was longer than expected, close to a week, and he hoped that the scroll would hold a positive note in it. He carefully dismisses the seal on the scroll and unrolls it, readying through the letter three times in disbelief. Tsunade had said yes because Kira was willing to go through with it. She went on to discuss her own conditions if the arrangement was to be put into effect.

He walks into the council room with the scroll clutched in his hand and all nine pairs of eyes turn to him. "I have the Hokage's response." He says, and the effects are immediate. Calls of "What was he answer?" echo throughout the room, and Baki has to wait several minutes for order to restore itself before he can begin talking.

"I think it best if we get Gaara in here first." Baki says, and an elder immediately stands and rushes from the room.

Close to twenty minutes go by, but then the elder appears with Gaara behind him. "You summoned me?" He asks, glancing towards Baki and the scroll in his hand.

"Yes, we have some things we need to discuss with you."

* * *

**AN: What do you think Gaara's reaction is going to be? Do you think he'll be resistant to the idea or go along with it? Leave me a review and let me know! Reviews are the things that keep me going!**


	18. Attitude

_"I hear the tone in your voice  
You see that look in my eyes  
I think you're missing the point  
You think I've lost my mind"_

**Chapter 18: Attitude (Fireflight)**

"No." I say flatly, trying my best not to glare at the circle of Elders. Of all the absurd things; an arranged marriage? Impossible. No one was stupid enough to agree to that. I was a monster, and not worthy yet of people's affection, though Kira and Naruto showed me that I did _want _to be worthy of the affections of others. There was no way that close to six months of good behavior would make me worthy of affection, but I will build myself up to it.

"Gaara-sama, please let me explain further before you say no." Baki says as he tries to hand me a scroll with a broken Konoha seal.

"I said no." I growl angrily, crossing my arms and rolling my eyes heavenward to glare furiously at the sandstone ceiling.

"Gaara, stop acting like a spoiled brat and listen to me!" Baki barks, and I slowly turn my eyes to his. "We wouldn't ask this of just anyone. Believe me, we thought hard before choosing someone. She's from Konoha because we came to the conclusion that an arranged marriage between our two villages would help strengthen the treaty we are trying to write."

_Oh great, not one of those over bearing girls… _I thought to myself, thinking of the two girls who were constantly fighting over that stupid Uchiha.

"Gaara-sama, please don't scowl like that. I promise you'll like who we picked as your bride. You know her well, and she has agreed to the arrangement." Baki continues as I scowl harder.

"No one in their right mind would marry me." There, I said it, however saying the words aloud did not make me feel any better.

"Kira would, and she _has_ agreed." Baki says flatly, just barely restraining himself from glaring at my petulant behavior.

"I said… what?" I'm surprised by this turn of events, which clearly must register on my face, because the tension in the room drains considerably.

"Kira agreed to the arranged marriage, as did Tsunade. Of course Tsunade has her own stipulations that we must discuss with you before we set a date for the wedding to take place…"

Baki's words fade out as my mind turns to thinking of Kira. Why would she say yes? I know very little about affection, and know nothing of love. I guess I was akin to a prickly cactus. Even I wouldn't want to marry me, yet this one girl has said yes to becoming my wife even though I was not the one to ask it of her. Was she doing it because she felt that it was her duty, or because she truly felt _something _towards me? I needed to know, and therefore I would test her.

"Baki." I say, interrupting whatever discussion was taking place. "I will agree to the arrangement if I am allowed to test her affections."

"Gaara…" Baki rolls his eyes heavenwards for a moment, then looks me straight in the eye. "I'm telling you right now, that girl feels true affection for you. That is the reason why we even thought about an arranged marriage for you. Every time we had a meeting to discuss the treaty Kira watched you with the classic expression of a girl infatuated. I wasn't even the one to spot it, Shinbou was, and he brought it to my attention right away. Every week she sat closer to you, or would brush up against you in some way. That is the beginnings of affection."

"I will only agree to the arrangement if I am allowed to test her affections." I say stubbornly. I will not be swayed from this.

"Fine Gaara. But so help me, if you drive that girl away, you'll be in some deep shit."

* * *

As I'm walking down the corridor of the hospital, an overwhelming need to sneeze has me frantically looking for a tissue. I can't find one, and just barely get the crook of my elbow to my mouth and nose in time. "Choo."

"That was a cute little sneeze." Shizune says as she passes me in the hallway. "You going to visit Naruto?"

"Yup." I say as I walk faster to catch up to her.

"You'll be just in time to see him released then. Oh, and Tsunade wants to speak with you, so please go see her when you leave here." Shizune says as we are within sight of Naruto's room.

"Of course she does." I sigh. "She always wants to tell me something."

"It's because you're the ambassador." Shizune says as she opens the door to Naruto's room.

"Finally!" He says as we walk through the door. "I want to get out of here and start my training! I will get stronger and bring Sasuke back, believe it!"

"You're hopeless." I sigh, rolling my eyes and sitting on the edge of his bed. "I came to say good bye Naruto."

"Where are you going?" He asks curiously, his baby blues bright.

"Suna."

"Oh, well, you'll be back then."

"Not exactly." I say, suddenly nervous to tell him. "I'm going to be marrying someone in Suna."

"Who? We don't know anyone… It better not be to that weirdo Kankuro." He says, staring at me defiantly.

"Um, no. But you're kinda close." I say, beginning to blush.

"Gaara?" He tilts his head sideways like a cute puppy as he guesses.

"Yes."

"He asked you to marry him?" Naruto asks, jumping up and pointing at me from atop his hospital bed.

"Not exactly. It's an arranged marriage. But I do like him a lot, and I'd be happy to marry him." I say at the angry glint in Naruto's eyes.

"Don't you go off marrying anyone because you feel obligated." He says, crossing his arms and sitting back down heavily.

"It's not like that." I say, waving my hands in front of my face in a placating gesture. "I do truly like Gaara, and I think I love him. I said it once when I thought for sure Kimimaro was going to kill me. I think it's a good idea. It'll help relations between out two villages, and it'll teach Gaara how to care for others."

"If you love him, then that's your business. Just remember what I said." Naruto responds.

"Alright, now if you two are done, can I take a look at you Naruto?" Shizune asks.

"Yeah, whatever." He replies.

"I'll miss you Naruto." I say, ruffling his blonde hair as I stand up. "And behave for Jiraiya, and try not to antagonize Takai." I add, kissing the top of his head.

"Good luck with Gaara." He says.

"You better be at my wedding or you'll be in big trouble mister." I say, giggling and walking out of the room.

As I walk out of the hospital, I'm accosted by Kakkaku, the last person I wanted to see right now. He has been strangely clingy and overbearing lately, and it all started when I went out that first night in Suna. I couldn't tell if he was being an over protective teammate, or if it was something else.

"Kira, there you are." He says, as if he's been searching for me all day.

"What Kakkaku?" I ask a little venomously. "I need to go see the Hokage."

"I was just wondering if you'd like to go out to lunch." He says, looking hurt.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap, but I have to go see the Hokage and then pack." I say, my expression softening.

"Pack? Where are you going?" He asks, as his fingers brush mine.

"Back to Suna." I say, taking my hand away from his and scowling.

"What do you need to go back to Suna for? Aren't the treaties done?" Kakkaku asks, pulling his hand back and putting it into his pocket.

"Essentially, yes. There's still one more thing that I have to do."

"What's that?"

"You'll have to ask the Hokage." I say, picking up my pace in an effort to either escape Kakkaku or run into someone who will make me feel a bit more comfortable.

"Can I come with you to see her then?"

"No." I grouch, being extremely rude and using my teleporting jutsu to get away from him. I appear in Tsunade's office, much to her surprise. "You wanted me?" I ask, my voice hard.

"Kira? What's the matter with you?" Tsunade asks as soon as she sees my expression.

"Kakkaku. He's been hounding me, following me everywhere. I don't understand what the fuck he's up to. But if he asks why I'm going to Suna, tell him. I think he has some absurd notion that he loves me, and I don't want him to think like that." I say angrily, crossing my arms and glaring at nothing in particular.

"Why don't you tell him?" She asks, raising her eyebrows at me.

"Because I don't want to see his expression when I tell him that I'm going there to finalize the treaties with a kiss… literally."

Tsunade shakes her head and sighs. "Fine, I'll tell him if he asks. Now the reason I wanted you is to tell you that the date for the wedding has been set for one month from now."

"Wow, right after our birthdays huh?" I ask, a little surprised by this.

"Yup. The week after Gaara's eighteenth birthday he will ascend to Kazekage and then two weeks after that you two will be wed."

"Ok, so I should leave soon huh?" I ask.

"I would say within the hour."

"Ok. I've got most of my stuff packed. It'll give me a chance to try out a new jutsu that I researched while in Suna." I say, smiling.

"Oh?" Tsunade asks, looking at me curiously.

"I've been studying the Fourth's teleportation jutsu. I think I've got it down." I say, smiling.

"You never cease to amaze me." Tsunade says, smiling at me and shaking her head.

"I know." I smile before poofing into my apartment. I gather up what's left to be packed and throw it into a pack, then pick up my three bags. "Well, here goes nothing." I say to myself, and poof away. I appear deep in the woods, and grin from ear to ear.

I scoop up my teleportation seal and then poof away again, this time appearing on the edge of the desert. This time however, I feel quite nauseous and need to rest for several minutes before feeling well enough to pick up my seal and poof away again. At last I appear in the living room of Gaara's house, scaring the shit out of Kankuro, who yelps. I fall on my butt, and put my head between my knees and gasp for breath. _Now I know why Minato-san didn't travel immense distances this way. _I think to myself as Kankuro hollers for someone to get in the living room.

"Kira! We weren't expecting you for three days!" Temari says as she kneels beside me. "Are you ok?" She asks, and I can feel her looking me up and down.

"I'm fine." I manage, swallowing the urge to throw up.

"Let me help you up then."

"No! I'm fine, just a little sick at the moment." I say, as I get my head up from between my knees.

"Geez, you're paler than a ghost." Kankuro says. "Gaara! Your wife is here!" He shouts towards the stairs.

"Shut up, you're going to piss him off." Temari says, as she moves to help me stand. "I think he's angry about the arranged marriage."

"Thanks." I mutter as I wobble a bit. "I suppose he has reason to be angry, but we've always got along pretty well… And I will not be teleporting long distances ever again." I say, raising my left hand in a vow. I grab one of my bags and start making my shaky way towards the stairs and the spare room.

"Where are you going?" I turn and look at Gaara, who is standing in the doorway of his room.

"I assumed I was going to stay in the guest room…" I say, shrugging.

"If we're to marry then you'll stay in my room." He says, holding the door open for me.

"Ok then." I say, repressing the urge to shudder as he watches me with cold eyes. I brush past him and walk into his room, placing my bag on his disused bed. The cream walls and dark hardwood floors are just like I remembered them. I breathe in and sigh happily. I would die a happy woman if I smelled just his smell for the rest of my life.

"Where should I put my things?" I ask as I meet his icy eyes.

"I made room in the closet and dresser." He replies with as much ice in his voice.

"What crawled up your ass and died?" I growl, scowling at him. "I haven't done anything to offend you since I left have I?" I ask angrily.

"Yes." Gaara says, scowling back at me.

"What have I done to offend you then?"

"Agreed to this ludicrous arranged marriage." He replies coldly, turning his back on me.

"Are you kidding me?" I ask, marching across the room and placing my tiny frame in front of him. "You're mad at me because I essentially agreed to love you for the rest of my life? Real nice Gaara." I say, putting my hands on my hips. "If you really hate me that much, then you can call it off. I thought you liked me, but apparently I was wrong. Just remember that I'm willing to love you, but you're still so full of yourself that you're the one ruining that too." I turn on my heel and walk out of his room, down the stairs and into the living room.

"Are you two fighting already?" Kankuro asks when he sees me.

"Zip it Kankuro or tomorrow morning you'll wake up breathing through a tube." I growl as I grab my other two bags and march back up the stairs. Gaara is still standing in his room, looking slightly stunned by my outburst.

"Shall I continue bringing my things in here, or should I go to the spare bedroom?" I ask icily.

"In here's fine." Gaara says quietly, so I march in and start finding places to put my things. Eventually he starts helping, pulling out clothes and putting them away. "Have I really offended you that much?" He asks.

"What do you think?"

"Your actions and words say that I have."

"Then you're pretty damn smart." I snap as I dump out my toiletry bag.

"I thought that you only agreed because you felt obligated." Gaara says quietly, causing me to pause and collect my thoughts.

"That's not true at all. If I didn't have any feelings for you I would have said so. But I do have feelings for you. Remember last week when I was going to sacrifice myself to save you from Kimimaro?"

"Yes."

"What did I say to you?" I ask, raising my eyebrow at him.

"You said 'I love you Gaara' and then I…" Gaara trails off as the weight of the words finally sink in.

"You see?" I ask tenderly, walking over to him and gently caressing his cheeks. "I thought I was going to die, and I wanted you to know that there was at least one person that had loved _you._ I stick by what I said that day. If you still don't want to go through with this wedding, then say so."

Gaara doesn't say anything, and after a few seconds he shakes his head and steps away, leaving my hand to fall down to my side. "Do you need any more help?" He asks.

"I think I can manage." I say, smiling at him.

"Please tell Temari I will be home for dinner." Gaara says before disappearing in a flurry of sand.

I sigh and finish finding homes for all of my things, finishing up with my toiletries in the adjoining bathroom. As I make my way down the stairs, Kankuro looks up and eyes me.

"Where's Gaara?" He asks suspiciously.

"I don't know." I shrug. "We kind of made up and then he asked me to tell Temari that he'll be home for dinner."

"That means he went to see the Elders about something." Kankuro sighs.

* * *

I walk into the Council Room with my arms crossed. Everyone stands up as I enter, and then I take a seat at the head of the table. As soon as I'm seated those who had been seated around the table sit back down. "I came down today because I have some things I'd like to discuss about the… marriage between myself and Kira." The word marriage leaves a weird taste in my mouth. Not unpleasant, but certainly unusual.

"Certainly Gaara-sama." Shinbou says, and the room becomes deathly silent at the end of his words.

"Kira arrived today." I begin and I'm immediately interrupted.

"Impossible!" That was Yura, a relatively new member to the Council.

"She is at my house right now if any of you care to verify the facts." When no one moves I bow my head in smugness then meet their eyes. "As soon as I learned she was home I became unusually cold and short with her, which caused her to become angry and confront me about my behavior. She is certainly perceptive and has assured me that she didn't agree to the arrangement out of obligation." This information is met with many smiles. Only two of the oldest Elders look like they've been made to eat a nasty piece of cheese.

"Last time we met I did not care to hear what the Hokage's stipulations to the arrangement are, but I will hear them now." I say as Baki stands up out of his chair.

"Allow me to retrieve the scroll Gaara-sama." Baki returns a few minutes later with the scroll and sits back down. "Tsunade-sama has very few stipulations. The first is that Kira is allowed home at least twice a year for a month at a time. Any more or less time should be solely discussed by her and her future husband."

"A month is a little long to be away from Suna; however Konoha is her first home so I shall agree to this term." I say, nodding once.

"Her second stipulation is that any children born from the union are allowed to go to Konoha whenever they wish, and at the time they are of age to attend the ninja academy they are allowed to choose to go to Konoha for their ninja training if they desire." Baki looks up worriedly after reading this bit.

"That won't be a problem. I will not be having any children." I say forcefully, glaring at Baki.

"But what if Kira would like to have children?" Shinbou asks. I turn my glare to him.

"We will have that discussion should the topic ever come up." I say with finality.

"Shall I write that you agree to this term then?" Baki asks.

"Since it won't matter, that'll be fine." I reply, scowling at the scroll in his hand. "What is the next stipulation?"

"So stubborn as always…" Yura comments and aside from shooting him a nasty look, I choose not to respond.

"Kira should still be allowed to carry out her duties as ambassador of Konoha when the need presents itself. This means there may be long, extended periods of time in which she is not home in Suna."

"I will only agree to this as long as the missions don't require her to be gone for more than three weeks." I say, sitting up straighter in my chair. These stipulations weren't nearly as bad as I thought they were going to be.

"The last stipulation is in regards to the upcoming wedding. She wants the wedding to be held in Konoha." Baki looks over the scroll at me.

"Tell her that I will leave that decision solely to Kira. Is there anything else that needs to be discussed? I ask.

"Some of the Elders are uncomfortable with your living arrangements and would prefer it if Kira stayed in an apartment until the wedding."

"Whether or not Kira moves into my house is between myself and her. Since she has already put all her stuff away in my home I assume that she would like to stay there. Is there anything else that needs to be discussed?" I ask meeting each of the Elder's eyes.

"We just need you to take this paperwork home and work on it. It needs to be turned into the Kazekage's office by tomorrow night."

"Of course." I say, taking the handful of papers from Baki. "Anything else?"

"No Gaara-sama."

"Then I will be going home then." I bow with a slight incline of my head and leave the building, walking purposefully back home. As soon as I walk through the door, the smell of something delicious hits my nose.

"Welcome back Gaara." Kira says happily from the kitchen when she sees me. "I made some miso soup with white rice, and sushi. You guys are kind of low on ingredients for hot food."

"Sushi sounds fine." I say, setting my paperwork down on a kitchen counter.

"Temari and Kankuro have already started eating, so you might want to get some food before they eat it all." Kira says as she hands me a plate with about a dozen pieces of sushi on it. "The soup is on the dining room table, and there's a bowl and soup spoon at your place setting already."

_Has she really forgiven me so soon? _I ask myself as Kira herds me into the dining room. I sit on the pillow I always sit on and Kira takes a seat next to me. I watch out of the corner of my eye as she dumps soy sauce into a saucer and then spreads wasabi on the top of each piece of sushi. She dunks her first piece in the soy sauce and plops it in her mouth, closing her eyes as she chews happily.

Temari and Kankuro are sitting across from Kira and I and are both eating like they've never tasted food so good. "Where'd you go today little bro?" Kankuro asks after plopping his last piece of sushi in his mouth.

"To see the Council of Elders." I reply as I spoon some miso soup into my bowl.

"What did those old geezers want?"

"Kankuro! That's incredibly rude!" Temari says, glaring at our brother.

"They didn't want anything. I only went to finalize some things regarding the… wedding." I tried not to flinch at the last word, but I was nervous. There were so many questions running through my head. _What if Kira changes her mind? What if she hates being married to me? What if she becomes a target as the Kazekage's wife? Oh god, what if she wants kids? What if…? What if…? What if…?_

"Oh, what things?" Kira asks. Meeting my eyes with her own light blue ones.

"Some stipulations the Hokage had in regards to our union." I reply.

"Oh brother. She had to ask me to get ideas for the stipulations because she didn't want it to seem like she was handing me over free of charge." Kira says, rolling her eyes at the memory.

"So all those stipulations were yours?" I ask, surprised.

"Yup."

"Including the one about children?" I gulp feeling myself flush slightly.

"Yup… What are you blushing about?" She asks.

"It's nothing." I say, and occupy my mouth with a bite of sushi.

"I'm… going to go clean up. Thanks for making dinner Kira." Temari says, getting up abruptly and picking up her plate. "Come help me with the cleaning Kankuro."

"Temari, I'm still enjoying the soup."

"Now Kankuro." Temari hisses, scooping up his bowl.

"Hey, I wasn't finished with that." Kankuro says angrily, before stalking off after Temari.

"So, having children makes you nervous?" Kira asks, chuckling.

"I do not wish to have children."

"That's insulting." She replies, as she sips daintily at her soup. "Am I not worthy enough to have your children?" She raises an eyebrow at me as she lowers her bowl back onto the table.

"That's not it…" I mumble, taking a bite of my sushi and chewing slowly. Kira just watches me expectantly. _I didn't want to have this conversation now… _I sigh to myself. "I feel that I will not be a worthy father."

"Is that it? We don't even have to think about having kids right away. In fact I'd be more comfortable waiting a few years. We can revisit the topic then, but since I know it makes you uncomfortable we'll drop it. Any other questions?"

"Do you really want to get married in Konoha?"

"Ugh, Tsunade must have put that in. It was the one stipulation I wasn't sure of. I think it'd be best to have it here, know what I mean?"

"If that's what you like. I told Tsunade that it would be your decision." I say as I finish off my soup.

"Thank god for that." Kira says quietly as she finishes her meal.

"So you don't want to go to Konoha to get married?" I ask, surprised by this.

"I think it'll be better for you politically to get married here. Plus I'm only concerned with a few close friends being at the wedding anyways." Kira smiles at me before standing and gathering her dishes. "I'll bring these dishes in to Temari and Kankuro, and then I'll look over your paperwork and see what can be done tonight and what should wait for morning."

"Thanks." I mutter quietly, surprised. Clearly being Kazekage would not be so much of a burden to me. Kira could possibly be my greatest asset. _Perhaps I can make Kira my assistant… _I thought to myself as Kira disappeared into the kitchen. _I would be able to keep an eye on her while she was in the village more effectively this way too…_

When I've finished my dinner, Kira is sitting in the living room, reading through my papers. She looks up as I sit on the other end of the couch and scooches closer and hands me three papers. "These just need to be read and signed. They're just assignments for three different ninja teams, C and D rank missions. "These," she points at another small pile of papers, "are work orders. You'll need to assign the ninja that are best for the job and then sign and stamp these for delivery. This last pile is law recommendations, suggestions, and the like. You need to yay or nay them and sign and stamp. I'd say do the three papers I handed you, and then relax for the night. The other papers will probably only take you until lunch if you get started in the morning. So I'll leave you to it. I'm going to hop in the shower, then get dressed for bed. You're more than welcome to come and join me." The last sentence she practically sings as she pats my head and skips from the room. I blush slightly at the suggestive tone to her statement.

"Wow little bro." Kankuro whistles as he sits beside me on the kitchen. "She's acting like the two of you are married all ready, how does that make you feel?"

"Awkward. And it's none of your business." I say, scowling over my papers before signing them.

"I wish I had a wife who made my life easier. You're going to be lucky to have her around." Kankuro continues, oblivious to my angry stares.

"It's still none of your business." I state.

"You're my little brother; of course it's my business. And besides, she fits into this family pretty well don't you think?"

"If you are implying that she fits into this family because of her wolf then you are shallower than I thought." I say, a hard edge to my voice.

"That's not what I meant." Kankuro says between gritted teeth.

"Then what did you mean?" I hiss, resisting the urge to call up my sand.

"That she's smart, helpful, bright, good natured, and the perfect woman to balance you out." Kankuro says seriously. "She's the perfect woman any man would die to have, and not only does she put up with you, she's decided to marry you because she likes _you._ If that's not enough then I don't know what is." Kankuro gets up off the couch and heads towards the stairs. "Don't do anything to fuck this up baby brother, or you'll regret it." With that Kankuro disappears up the stairs, and a few seconds later I hear his bedroom door slam shut.

_What is it with everyone telling me that I better not ruin this arrangement? It's not like I'm out to sabotage it…_

* * *

When I get out of the bathroom, Gaara is in our room, changing. I can't help but stare at his lightly sculpted chest and arms and I drool mentally. I don't know whether I should be guilty for ogling or not. It's not long before he feels like he's being watched and turns to face me. I blush at being caught staring, but he seems to not feel self conscious about it, so I walk further into the room.

"I think I'm going to go to bed now. Would you like to come to bed now, or are you going to hang out for a bit?" I ask as I pull the covers back on the immaculate looking bed.

"I'm going to go sit up on the roof." Gaara replies before pulling on a black t-shirt and climbing out the window.

"Of course you are…" I mutter before turning out the light and climbing into bed. I pull the covers up to my chin and think about the upcoming wedding, hoping that in the next month I can get Gaara to open up.

* * *

**AN: So, what do you think? I've got something major planned that'll play out in the next few chapters. As always, if you've favorited or followed my story please leave a review. I'd like to get three reviews before I update again!**


	19. The Kill

_"Come break me down  
Bury me, bury me  
I am finished with you, you, you.  
Look in my eyes  
You're killing me, killing me  
All I wanted was you."_

**Chapter 19: The Kill (30 Seconds to Mars)**

When I wake in the morning I find myself sprawled across the bed. I can tell Gaara hasn't been in bed, which I don't find unusual at all since he tries his best not to sleep because of Shukaku. I wish he had come to bed, but I doubted this habit would ever change. _You have to learn to live with it, _I sigh to myself as I get out of bed and make my way groggily to the bathroom. I open the door and am assaulted by warm steam and a naked Gaara in the shower.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" I squeak, blushing as I make to turn out of the bathroom. The white curtain was slightly opaque and I could see his silhouette as he washed his hair.

"It's fine." His deep voice says as he steps under the stream of water. My mouth salivates at the thought of joining him in the shower, but I curb my libido and move to leave the bathroom. "If you needed to use the bathroom, you can."

"Does that include joining you in the shower?" I ask playfully. His silence in response to my question has me grinning. "Don't worry; I'll leave you to shower alone." I say as I walk out of the bathroom and close the door.

I busy myself with making the bed first and being left alone has given my mind enough time to turn sour. When Gaara comes out of the bathroom I smile sheepishly at him before going in and locking the door. I slide to the floor with my back to the door and rest my chin on my knees. What was I getting myself into when I agreed to the arranged marriage? Gaara was almost eighteen, and I was almost twenty one. There was no way a marriage at this age was going to work… And Gaara himself… there was so much baggage there, and I just didn't know if I could handle it. I sigh as I try to find the light at the end of the tunnel, and I begin to undress so I can get in the shower.

* * *

"Come in." I saunter into Tsunade's office, hands in my pockets and take everything in. The desk looks slightly disorganized, Tsunade is clutching a sake bottle by the neck, and Kira is nowhere to be seen.

After she had used the teleportation jutsu to get away I knew something was up. She had said she was going to see Tsunade, but by the time I got here, she was gone. I had then gone to her home, but it was completely packed up. Boxes were waiting by the door and no personal possessions had been left out. I figured she was avoiding me, so I stopped searching for her to give her some space. This morning however I had heard a rumor that she had _moved _to Suna, and I decided I needed to speak to Tsunade to get some answers.

"What can I do for you Kakkaku?" Tsunade asks.

"Where is Kira?" I ask, raising my eyebrow.

"She has left for Suna already. In fact I received a letter from Suna's Council of Elders stating that Kira has arrived in Suna and that Gaara has agreed to all of my conditions." Tsunade says as she pours herself a shot of sake.

"How can she be in Suna already?" I ask, crossing my arms. "I saw her yesterday."

"She said she had studied the Fourth's transportation jutsu." Tsunade downs the shot and slams the glass on her desk.

"So she teleported there?" I ask in disbelief. She has come a long way from my teammate who needed my help to master a new jutsu for the Chunin exam.

"Yes, she did. What do you need her for anyways?" Tsunade asks, looking at me with a hint of suspicion.

"Oh nothing in particular, I wanted to ask her why she still had to travel to Suna. When I asked yesterday she sort of avoided the question." I say in a nonchalant manner, lifting my shoulders in a shrug.

"Ah. She's been avoiding everyone who's asked that question." Tsunade says, pulling a paper in front of her and scanning through it.

"Why?" I ask, now truly curious. She shouldn't avoid me, she was my teammate, and I truly cared about her.

"Because she wasn't ready to tell people, obviously." Tsunade says as she picks up her pen and signs the paper. This statement makes me feel like a prying child, but I will not be deterred from the information I want.

"Will you tell me then?" I ask, trying to keep my face emotionless.

"Since she gave me permission to do so, I suppose I can." Tsunade says as she pulls another paper towards her and starts scanning through it. I wait patiently as she reads it a second time then signs it and sets it aside. Tsunade looks up and meets my eyes with an intense gaze. "Kira is moving to Suna permanently. She is Gaara's fiancé now."

"Oh. I see." I say, as I resist the urge to clench my fists, spin around, and pulverize the wall.

"Did you need anything else Kakkaku?" Tsunade questions, watching me closely.

"No, that was all I needed." I say before bowing and leaving Tsunade's office. I glared at the floor as I made my way out of the Hokage building. _She's going to marry some monster who tried to harm her over her own teammate? What the fuck's wrong with her!? _My mind is seething with hatred for the red haired shinobi from the Sand. _He should have been killed when he transformed into that tanuki! I'm going to Suna, and I'm going to bring Kira home! There is no way I'll allow her to marry that monster. If she wants to get married so badly, she can have me!_

"Oi, Kakkaku… what's the matter with you?" Takai asks as she takes in my enraged face.

"Kira's gone and decided to marry that monster Gaara." I growl, glaring in the general direction of Suna.

"She asked me to be her maid of honor!" Takai gushes, which is extremely out of character for her. I scowl as her face lights up in a smile.

"I had to find out about it from Tsunade." I say darkly, crossing my arms.

"That's odd. She told me and Naruto yesterday before she left. I'm surprised she didn't say anything to you. Perhaps she forgot?" Takai asks.

"Kira wouldn't forget about me." I say stubbornly. "I spent the whole month during the break in the Chunin exams helping her get her jutsu down. You wouldn't forget who your teammates are would you?"

"Well, no, but you have to imagine she's got a lot on her mind, she's getting married in a month." Takai says as she frowns at me.

"She was downright avoiding me. When I asked her why she was going back to Suna she told me it was none… of my… Did you just say she's getting married in a month?"

"Yes…" Takai is now eyeing me wearily, and I know it's because of my unusual behavior. But damnit, Kira was not going to choose some unruly monster over me, I loved her!

"Why so soon? Did that bastard knock her up?" I growl, my fingers clenching into fists. No one was going to be that close to Kira but me, no one!

"She didn't say anything to me about being pregnant. Honestly Kakkaku, you need to take a chill pill. You're acting very strange…" Takai says, scowling.

"It's just been a long day is all." I say, smiling my normal smile while forcing my body to relax.

"Don't overdo it, ok?" Takai says, giving me a disbelieving look. "Take care of yourself. I'm off to meet Naruto and Jiraiya for training. I'll see you at the wedding?"

"Yeah, I'll be there." _To kill that stupid bastard for even thinking about asking my girl to marry him, _I finish to myself.

"Bye then." Takai punches my shoulder in her normal farewell gesture and speeds off towards the gates of Konoha. I walk back to my home, I'll need to do some preparing before I confront Gaara, that monster was not keeping Kira; she was going to be mine.

* * *

Not quite a week had passed since I walked in on Gaara in the shower. The warm nights in Konoha spent with Gaara while we were Genin seemed so long ago. Even the closeness we had shared while I was here as ambassador seemed to be dissipating. Gaara never treated me coldly, but he was more distant than he had been when we were going over treaties. I didn't know how to reach him, what he was thinking, or even what his routine was. He avoided me like the plague, and even though he was only in training for his new position as Kazekage, he was spending most of his time in the Kazekage offices.

"Happy birthday to me…" I muttered to myself as I threw the comforter off myself and swung my feet over the edge of the bed. I arched my back in a stretch, then stood up and walked to the bathroom, taking care to knock on the door. I get no response so I open it and begin my new morning routine. I went to the bathroom, showered, brushed my teeth, shaved if needed, then tied my hair up in a messy bun before wrapping my towel around myself and going out into what was more my room rather than a shared room between me and Gaara.

When I walk out of the bathroom I head straight for the small walk in closet and begin rummaging around for a good shirt. I finally decide on a beautiful black and powder blue corset, lacing it up lightly before bringing it out and laying it on the bed. I was so intent on my task that I didn't notice the other presence in the room until said presence cleared its throat.

"Fuck! Gaara! Don't sneak up on me!" I say, clutching my towel up as my heart beats frantically in my chest.

"I apologize; I didn't mean to scare you." He says as he holds out a small poorly wrapped package, a slight blush on his cheeks as he takes in my towel clad body that left barely anything to the imagination. Since we were going to be husband and wife in about three weeks, I saw no point in being overly modest.

"What's this?" I ask, my eyes lighting up at the sight of the gift. I walk over, still clutching my white fluffy towel, and gingerly take the parcel from him.

"I was told it was your birthday, so I got you something." Gaara says as he crosses his arms in a defensive position.

"Thank you." I say, smiling softly as I gaze at the lumpy package.

"How can you thank me when you haven't even opened it yet?" Gaara asks, a hint of irritation in his voice.

"Because you were kind enough to get me something, no matter what it is." I say brightly as I tuck the corners of my towel under my arm and squeeze tight so my hands are free to open my gift. I eagerly unwrap the brightly colored paper, and am confronted by a black velvet jewelry case. I look up at Gaara in astonishment.

"Just open it." He huffs, looking slightly uncomfortable as he shifts around.

I do as he says, and a beautifully cut princess diamond ring is staring back at me. The jewel wasn't big; it was small and just my style. I thought big jewels were gaudy and atrocious, especially on me. "It's beautiful." I whisper, gently picking up the white gold band, twirling it between my fingers.

Gaara surprises me by stepping forward, coming closer than he's been in a long time. He takes the ring from me and puts it on my left ring finger. "I know I've been distant, it's because of the whole arranged marriage. Believe me, I am drawn to you because you have never been afraid of me, you're always kind, and treat me the same as you do everyone else. But you also scare me with your intensity, and because of your wise cracks about us… getting physical."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." I whisper, meeting his eyes with my own. There was warmth in his eyes that hadn't been there when he was a Genin, and it made his harsh face warmer, more open and vulnerable.

"I thought for awhile about what to get you, and since we are to be married, I figured a ring would be proper. The Elders wish to announce to the village tomorrow about our engagement, and I think having a ring will help the news be more palatable for the people."

"Thank you Gaara." I say, standing on tiptoe and lightly kissing him. I expect him to draw back almost immediately, like all the times before, but today is different. He hesitantly puts a hand on my hip, while the other one brushes up my side, over my back, and nestles at the nape of my neck, tangling in my blonde hair.

I sighed against his lips. This was how it was supposed to be, loving, physical, wanting. Not one sided, harsh, or uncomfortable. Gaara pulls away and makes for the window. "It's probably best you get dressed." He says, before disappearing from sight. I sigh, almost frustrated at his inability to be affectionate, then gather up the rest of my clothes, all the while admiring my beautiful new ring.

My corset needed to be tightened and tied, so I cautiously went downstairs and looked to see if there was anyone up I could trust with tying up my corset. The house was pretty silent, the lights were all off, the television was off, and everything was in its place. "Damn, this always happens when I need something…" I mutter as I wander towards the dining room.

"SURPRISE!"

I yelp and jump a mile high, whipping out my chakra blades and sliding into my fighting stance. I look around wearily, only to see all of my closest friends wearing goofy party hats and smiling widely at me.

"It's just like the first time we met her, huh?" Kankuro whispers to Temari who laughs in agreement.

"It's not funny!" I hiss as I straiten up and pocket my chakra blades. "I dislike these kinds of surprises."

"Oh, calm your hormones." Kankuro says as he walks over and snaps one of the goofy party hats on my head. I scowl at him as the thin elastic smacks the skin under my chin.

"Come on Kira!" Naruto says as he bounces over and gives me a hug. "Where's your birthday spirit?"

"It probably went out the window the minute we scared her." Takai snickers from the corner. "She usually loves her birthday."

"Well since you're here, come cinch me up." I say pointing to the back of my corset.

"Why don't you get one with hooks, or wear the one that laces in the front?" Takai asks as she walks behind me and starts tightening my laces. My body jerks as she laces me up tight.

"The ones with the hooks aren't tight enough, and I didn't feel like wearing the one that laces in the front." I say, crossing my arms defiantly.

"Stop being difficult and just enjoy your birthday." Takai commands, smacking me upside the head as she moves away. I scowl at her and stick my tongue out. Yup this was the Takai I knew and loved. Last time I had seen her she was gushing all over me marrying Gaara, something I had never seen her do.

"Wait a second…" Takai turns to me and frowns, looking me up and down. "Something's not right…" I scowl at her some more and cross my arms. "That's it!" She hollers, pointing. In a nano second she is next to me and inspecting my hand. "Look what she's got!"

"Takai…" I mutter, flushing slightly as she brings everyone's attention to my engagement ring.

"Where'd you get that?" Naruto asks, cocking his head in confusion.

"It was a birthday gift from me." Gaara says as he walks in behind me. I can clearly feel some tension form when he walks in the room, but I help to ease it by smiling at him, and linking my arm through his.

"Isn't it beautiful?" I ask, showing off the ring.

"Let me see!" Temari demands, as she rushes over pushes Takai out of her way while everyone else follows (not that there were that many people here to begin with). Takai glares at Temari as she grabs up my hand and twists it this way and that as she inspects the diamond. "You couldn't have gotten her a bigger one?" She finally asks, raising her eyebrows at Gaara.

"I like it just the way it is, thank you very much." I say, pulling my hand away from Temari. "Big jewelry is obnoxious."

"Haven't you ever heard bigger is better?" Temari asks me.

"Haven't you ever heard that asking for big jewels can label you as a gold digger?" I reply sassily. "And I am most definitely not a gold digger." I resist the urge to cross my arms and glare at the blonde woman who was soon going to be my sister in-law.

"Kira…" Takai sighs, shaking her head. "Let's just have breakfast, before you ruin that too."

"I haven't ruined anything." I state angrily as Gaara steers me to a pillow cushion and pushes lightly on my shoulders for me to sit. I do as he wants, and he takes a seat next to me.

"I dislike parties too." Gaara whispers to me and I grin. A heaping plate of pancakes with melting butter is placed in front of me, and I immediately dig in.

"It's not the party, it's the surprise parties. I'd rather have a party I can look forward to. I react the same way every time to surprise parties." I say as I look at my choices of pancake toppings. There was blueberry, raspberry, and strawberry fruit toppings. Whipped cream, walnuts, powdered sugar, caramel syrup, maple syrup, and cinnamon sugar syrup. "I think I just died and went to heaven…" I say with a sigh as I begin piling on the toppings.

"Does this make up for the surprise?" Temari asks as she gestures to the smorgasbord in front of us. I vigorously node my head as I stuff a bite into my mouth.

"So, why are we having a party so early in the morning?" I ask around a mouthful of pancake with whipped cream, strawberry topping and walnuts.

"It was the only time Jiraiya would let Takai and I get away." Naruto pipes up as he puts another stack of three pancakes on his plate.

"What about Kakkaku? He's the only one missing…" I say, sorry for how I left things with him in Konoha.

"He said he was going to be on a mission and couldn't make it. We did ask him." Temari says as she takes a bite of her own pancakes.

"Phooey." I grumble before lapsing into silence. I eat a couple bites and listen to the aimless chatter around the table. Takai is berating Kankuro for trying to steal food off her plate, Naruto is holding up a conversation mostly on his own with Gaara about training, and Temari butts in now and again to offer pointers. I scratch at my chin distractedly as the elastic holding my hat on my head bites into my skin. When the itching persists, I remove the hat and snap it onto Gaara's head. He scowls at me while I giggle uncontrollably.

"I would prefer not to wear this hat." He says, taking it off and setting it on the table.

"Please? For me? It's my birthday." I pull the puppy eyes, but he completely ignores me and takes the hat off. "Party pooper…" I mutter as I finish off my pancakes.

* * *

Kira is scowling at her empty plate of pancakes, that party hat she had put on my head sitting sadly next to her plate. It was slightly crumpled from her squishing it onto my head. I had not helped matters when I had grabbed it a little harder than I meant to when I took it off my head and put it on the table.

I didn't understand her. Most of the time she acted like a mature adult, and then there were days when she acted like a petulant child. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that being near Takai brought out her more childish traits. I imagined that it was because Takai herself seemed to act childishly mean most of the time. I had to wonder if it was because of the Nekomata. From what I knew about the two tailed cat it was an evil conniving thing that was good at manipulation, and that it was Death's pet.

Kira sighed next to me, breaking me from my thoughts. Her elbow was resting on the table, and her chin was resting in her hand. She seemed bored, perhaps deep in thought, and I wanted to cheer her up. Her happy moment when I had given her the ring hadn't lasted as long as I had expected it to. She had followed me about in Konoha, invaded my personal space, hade even tried to kiss me, and I knew what it meant, though at the time I had tried to deny it. Now there was no denying that she felt _something _for me since she agreed to the stupid arranged marriage. I was still in shock by this, even when we had what my siblings called a heart to heart; I was weary of what her true intentions could be. I'd had enough hurt in my life, and I truly wanted to change and be a better person.

My eyes flitted back over Kira in her black corset with baby blue trim and a baby blue bow in between her breasts. She had decided not to wear her fingerless gloves, I think to showcase her ring, and instead of her normal black spandex short shorts she was wearing what appeared to be well worn low-rise jeans that were frayed at the bottom and had raggedy holes in the knees. I assumed most men said she looked like a hot kunoichi most days, but today the outfit she wore was even more provocative.

I was not one who acted like a normal boy, when I wanted a woman physically, I was disgusted with myself, stamped the emotion deep down inside me, but watching her in that outfit did things to me that I never let myself feel before. It was frustrating, yet exhilarating to feel these things I've kept at bay for so long. I was almost ashamed at myself for trying to peek down her cleavage, almost, but it was so tempting, and it was just… there.

Kira's eyes meet mine, as if she can feel my burning gaze as I look down at her. "What is it?" She questions, raising an eyebrow at me.

"It's nothing." I reply in the new cool tone I'd adopted. It sounded like… nothing really. I tried to keep emotion out of it, but at the same time keep it light. Not exactly an easy feat.

"You're beginning to blush." Kira whispers at me.

"I am not." I whisper back, but I knew she had to be right, I could feel my cheeks starting to warm, a new thing that I'd only begun doing around her. I didn't blush for anyone else.

"You are so. What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing." I hiss between clenched teeth. It was best we kept our relationship as businesslike as possible, even if she was going to be legally mine in just a few short weeks. I didn't want the emotions that came with Kira interrupting my work as Kazekage, but right at this moment, with her chin in her hands, looking up at me with her ice blue eyes I wanted nothing more than a deep relationship with her. Why oh why was I torturing myself like this?

"Fine then." She says, turning her head away from me and engaging Temari in some useless chatter about where she could find a good little hole-in-the-wall café. I listened half-heartedly as they blathered on about tea. I learned that Kira would take her tea any way depending on her mood, but she mostly liked unsweetened, strong teas.

I studied her while she blatantly ignored me, something I wasn't used to. I almost demanded she pay attention to me, like the old me would have done, but I quickly quell the feeling and busy my mind with something else. I studied her face, really looked at it. I wanted to know every feature of the face that belonged to my soon-to-be-wife. Her face was heart shaped, slightly long, but still in good proportion to the rest of her body. She had a very slight widow's peak, and when she ran her hand through her hair when it was down it flipped easily to one side, effectively getting her long bangs out of her face for a short while before most of it fell back in place. Her hair was honey blond with bleach blonde highlights, making her hair appear much lighter than it actually was.

Her nose was small and dainty, maybe a little too small, and was covered in freckles so faint you almost had to be right in her face to see them. The freckles didn't travel across her cheeks or any higher than the bridge of her nose, but it was another imperfect feature that I liked.

She had big round eyes that were able to pull off the so-called 'puppy dog look' perfectly, though I tried my best to ignore her when she looked at me like that. When I had asked Kankuro what it meant when she looked at me with big shiny eyes, he said that if she were like most girls it probably meant she wanted something I didn't want to give to her. I found that on most occasions he was right.

Her bottom lip was full, what my brother called the 'pouty lip', which she normally stuck out when she was giving me the puppy eyes. When she bit her lower lip in concentration or nervousness I wanted to yell at her to cut it out because of all the terrible things it did to my body. Her top lip was not as plump as her bottom lip, but not so much so that it looked weird, like some people do.

She turned and caught me staring, but I just met her gaze with my own. As long as I didn't feel ashamed about being caught staring a hole into her face, then it wouldn't show on my face.

"You're staring again." She accuses, huffing a breath at me. I decide the best course of action is to agree with her, since denying it would be a blatant lie, and she was no dummy.

"I was." I say as I busy myself with chewing a last bite of pancake. They were not my favorite food, but it was obvious that Kira liked them a lot; she demolished her plate relatively quickly.

"Did you like what you saw?" Kira quirks an eyebrow at me and I think about her cleavage, which makes the blood in my cheeks run hot and rampant. I'm about to respond, when she answers her own question. "That'll be a yes." She giggles, eyes bright and happy as they wander down my body. "How do you like it when I check you out?" Her voice has grown rougher, and my eyes follow her gaze for only a second before I realize where she is looking. It takes a lot of control on my part not to let me cheeks get any redder.

"Quit ogling my brother!" Kankuro says, throwing a dollop of fresh whipped cream at Kira.

"Hey!" She shouts, her whole face lighting up with happiness as she ducks and pulls water out of the air, using it to defend herself from more whipped topping, this time thrown by Naruto. Kira grabs up a healthy portion of blueberry topping and whips it at my head. My ever present sand blocks it and Kira shouts at me. "No fair!"

"It's no different than your water." I state, and she giggles.

"You're right!" She says, this time scooping up a mound of strawberry topping. I eye it wearily but she turns to Temari. I sigh in relief, and then realize a fraction of a second to late that I had just been tricked. Kira leans in next to me, faster than lightning and smushes the strawberries in my face. I am not pleased by this, and the whole table can feel it the instant the damage is done.

Kira however, looks at me with eyes that are shining with warmth and happiness. She does not realize that I am now seething with rage. I can feel the anger burning under my skin, hotter than it's been in a long time. I do not try and force the emotion back down. I do not like food smushed in my face, and I doubt there is anyone who does like it. Now I am in need of another shower, and I had already taken one today.

Kira is leaning against my arm, watching me. But the stupid girl is still acting like she's completely innocent, like it wasn't her that just covered my face with sticky strawberries. "You got a little something on your face." She says, her face completely serious. I don't know whether I should strangle her, or crush her in my sand.

_No, no. _My mind says, shaking a mental finger at me. _If we want to live a good life without people fearing us, then we must not kill your future bride because she put food all over your face._

"Let me get that for you." Kira grasps my shoulder with her hand, pulling me down towards her slightly, and as I'm wondering what the hell she's going to do, I feel her warm tongue travelling over my cheek as she licks up the strawberry juices.

"Oh my god Kira!" Takai shouts, throwing a sticky, syrupy pancake at her former teammate's head. "That is gross! That is an in private only thing!"

Kira blocks the incoming sticky mess with her water and whispers in my ear. "You are delicious." She giggles at the look on my face, and I try very hard to control the very different emotions whirling around inside me. Anger, lust, happiness, all of it was bubbling around in my head, and I didn't know which feeling to act on, so I stood up and walked out of the dining room. "Aw, Gaara!" I hear Kira shout after me.

I almost turn around and go back, but then a strawberry falls off my face and onto the white carpet and I march with purpose up to what used to be my room and into what used to be my bathroom. I needed to clean up, and there would be no more shenanigans today, or someone was going to get it.

* * *

**AN: What do you think Kakkaku is planning? I'm so devilish, hehe, I bet no one gets it. If someone does get it, I'll try and make a 10K word chapter for ya! (I'll PM whoever gets it right and let them know). Also, I know I said I'd update again when I got three reviews. I got two, and I really wanted to post the chapter so I let it slide. This time I want my reviews to hit 28, for a total of five reviews! I'd like pointers, what you think is going to happen, anything. While I do like reviews that my story is awesome and I should update soon, I want to be a better writer and make sure I give you guys what you want in a story. I like any kind of feed back as long as you're not rude. Until next chapter, this is KiraChan, signing off!**


	20. Amaryllis

_"Ohhh I wish you'd open up for me  
Cause I wanna know you  
Amaryllis  
Bloom"_

**Chapter 20: Amaryllis (Shinedown)**

I laugh as another pancake is thrown at my head, this time thrown by Naruto. "You can't hit me!" I shout, scooping up some blueberry topping and tossing the sticky mess at him. When the goopy substance splatters across his face I cheer, only to pout when he disappears in a cloud of smoke. "No shadow clones Naruto!" I shout as I dodge a scoop of raspberry topping thrown by Temari.

"Then you can't use your water!" Naruto retorts, as he tosses another handful of food at me.

"I'm the birthday girl! I get to do what I want!" I say, ducking as three scoops of food from Temari, Kankuro and Takai fly at me. The three had compensated for this, and I'm splattered by pancake topping.

I'm overcome by a brilliant idea, and I grab the syrup bottle. When Naruto throws another batch of food I duck and charge, squirting the syrup bottle and nailing him right in the face with the sticky substance.

"Ack! Kira!" He shouts, floundering around.

"Last one out of the room has to clean up!" I taunt, disappearing in a cloud of smoke and reappearing in me and Gaara's shared bathroom. I'm laughing so hard that I don't realize that the bathroom is already occupied by an unhappy Gaara. When I turn towards the shower, Gaara is standing there, towel wrapped around his hips, and his arms crossed.

"Er… hi." I say the word almost like a question as I look at him. He is scowling at me, and I grin sheepishly.

"I was using the bathroom first." He says, his voice low.

"I didn't mean to make you angry…" I say, walking over to him and giving him my best kicked puppy look.

His hard eyes soften marginally as he looks at me. "I do not like to have food rubbed in my face."

"I'm sorry." I say, breathing a silent sigh of relief. Gaara wasn't beyond mad at me, just irritated. "But you'll have to let me do it once more when we get married. It's traditional for the bride and groom to smush the wedding cake in each other's faces." I smile at him and his face begins scowling again.

"I'd rather not do that." He says as he walks past me towards the door to our room.

"But it's traditional." I say, following him, even though I should be taking a shower as well. I hadn't been able to dodge _every _scrap of food, and I had whipped cream on my clothes and blueberry topping and walnuts in my hair.

"Food is not meant to be squished into people's faces." He says as he heads for the walk in closet with me on his tail. "Or for throwing for that matter." He says, as he eyes my messy state.

"It is on your wedding day." I insist, darting past him and standing in front of the doorway, my arms crossed.

"I do not wish to discuss this now." Gaara says, brushing past me and into the closet.

"Fine." I huff, leaning against the door frame as I watch him pull out some clothes to wear. "Can we discuss it tomorrow?"

"Maybe." He says, glancing back at me.

"At least there's that." I say, twirling the ring on my finger. "I'm going to go shower, could you pull out some clothes for me?" I ask. He nods once in affirmation, so I leave and hop into the shower, making quick work of getting clean. When I get out, I realize I'd forgotten a towel. I roll my eyes in exasperation at myself then walk, dripping, to the bathroom door. I open the door a crack and look around, but I don't see Gaara, or my clothes.

"Gaara?" I call, hoping that he's still in the room somewhere.

"What?" He asks from the direction of the closet.

"Uh… I forgot a towel." I say sheepishly.

"Hold on." He sighs, and I see him appear a moment later with a fluffy white towel in his hand.

"Thanks!" I say happily, closing the door in his face as soon as I get the towel through the door. I dry off quickly, then wrap myself up and head out into our room. Gaara has pulled out a black mid rise halter top, and another pair of raggedy jeans.

"I thought you might want to get your own undergarments." He says, avoiding my eyes as his cheeks turn slightly pink.

"You know, I really don't mind if you see my panties and bras…" I giggle, taking my clothes from him. Our fingers brush, sending a current of electricity through me, making my skin tingle.

"I know." He says simply as he lets go of the clothes and I pull them into my arms.

"You're so cute." I say, smiling at him over my shoulder as I carry my clothes into the bathroom before finding a suitable bra and a pair of underwear. "Just give me five minutes, and we can go back downstairs together."

* * *

_I'm cute? _I ask myself as Kira disappears in the bathroom. No one had ever called me cute before. But was she talking about my physical features, or my actions? I sighed in frustration. Why couldn't women be more direct?

The bathroom door opens a moment later and she walks over to me, her eyes bright. She looked just as good in this outfit as she did in the last one, which was part of the reason I pulled it out. The halter top showed off just as much skin as the corset, and with her hair in a messy bun I could see all of her perfect tanned skin. Including the…_ ai tattoo?_

"When'd you get this?" I ask quietly. Without thinking I brush my fingers lightly across the deep black ink that is permanently etched into her skin.

"My tattoo? I got it right when I turned eighteen. The third Hokage was not pleased when he found out." She says, smiling fondly at the memory. "Why do you ask?"

"It's nothing." I say after a moment, as I relived the awful memory of how I got the ai shaped scar above my left eye.

"We kinda match, huh?" She asks, turning and tracing the scar on my forehead. I watch her carefully, trying to gauge what she's going to do next. Her proximity was slightly uncomfortable. Her left hand caressed my cheek, and then she was on her tiptoes, kissing me.

A few hours ago when I gave her the ring, I had let my instincts take over, and I had kissed her for real. It lit a fire in me that I didn't think would exist for anyone. Here I was, again being kissed, and I couldn't decide whether or not to just go with it. Everything was still so new to me, and a lot of her advances left me feeling uncomfortable. But perhaps this soft kissing… maybe I could handle that.

I could feel her arms looping around my neck, pulling me closer. It felt natural to put my hands on her hips, so I did. Her lips were soft against mine, warm, wanting. I felt her tongue lightly trace my bottom lip, and my eyes flew open. I lightly pushed her away, breaking her hold on me. When I meet her eyes they look slightly hurt, but the emotion is only there for a moment before her eyes clear up and she links her arm with mine.

"Let's go see what I got for presents!" She says happily, leading the way out of what is now our room. I walk with her, watching her. She doesn't seem angry with me, but the flash of hurt I had seen when I pushed her away, it bothered me. Those types of emotions never bothered me, I was always immune to them. But this one girl was changing my whole perspective, making me feel differently about many things.

"Kira would like to open her presents." I say to Temari as we pass her in the hall. She looks at me with a weird expression, one I've never seen on her face before. _What is it with everyone looking at me funny? _I ask myself.

"I'll gather everyone and I'll meet you in the living room." She says, still giving me a weird look. Her eyes travel down to Kira's arm intertwined with mine and she smiles softly before turning and walking towards her room.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Kira cheers, trying to pull me along faster. I dislike the feeling of being dragged, which Kira seems to do to me a lot. At first I thought it was when she was excited to see things around town, but I was starting to think it was an annoying habit she had when she got over excited about anything.

"I'm coming!" I say, exasperated.

"Walk faster!" Kira demands. I stare at her as I try to figure out her tone. I think she was just playing, but it was close to sounding like an order, which grated on my nerves. I decide to remain silent as it was her birthday, and she probably wanted it to be a happy day. I know Temari was always in that frame of mind when it was her birthday.

Takai is the only one in the living room, and Kira lets go of me and runs up to hug her best friend, jumping on her in the process. "Takai! I'm going to miss you while you're gone to train!" Kira says as both girls fall to the floor in a heap. I roll my eyes at her childish behavior and sit silently on the couch.

"Kira!" Takai yells, furiously trying to escape what looks like a death grip Kira has on her. "Let me go!" I smirk as Takai beats Kira on the head with a small metal fan in an attempt to get her to let go.

"NEVER!" Kira hollers at the top of her lungs, squeezing her eyes shut as Takai renews her efforts to get free. "It's my birthday! I can squeeze you to death if I want!"

"No you most certainly cannot squeeze me to death!" Takai hollers back, squirming as much as she can, but Kira got a good hold on her in the beginning and Takai was pretty much stuck. I can't help but let out a small chuckle. They were polar opposites, yet they complimented each other so well, and it was funny to watch how they interacted with each other.

"What are you giggling at Ginger?" Takai asks, glaring at me venomously. Kira takes this moment of distraction to kiss Takai quite sloppily on the cheek.

"Got ya!" She laughs before randomly disappearing and reappearing quicker than a blink of an eye next to me on the couch.

"Gross!" Takai says, scrubbing her cheek on the sleeve of her shirt. "I hate you Kira." She growls, glaring daggers at her best friend.

"No, you love me!" Kira insists, making a heart with her hands at Takai, who pretends to smash it.

"Did you see that?" Kira asks me in a whisper. "She just crushed my heart! Now I don't have a heart to give to you."

"Oh quit being melodramatic." Takai says, crossing her arms and plopping on the couch next to Kira.

"You love me and you know it!" Kira teases, poking Takai's thigh with her toes.

"Don't make me get out my chopsticks." Takai growls and Kira instantly bursts into laughter. I look at her questioningly and Kira scoots closer, leaning up against my side with her feet tucked under her on the couch, giving Takai more room. I had an urge to get up to give myself some space, I hadn't ever been cuddled before, and I was definitely out of my comfort zone. Kira however would probably look at me with those eyes again, the ones she had looked at me with when I had pushed her away not five minutes ago, and I wanted to avoid being looked at like that again. That face was even more uncomfortable than my current position.

"One time we were making three minute ramen at my house and I was trying to have a tickle fight in the kitchen with Takai. She grabbed her chopsticks and started poking me in the side. I'm very ticklish so I was having a laughing fit that was so bad I ended up on the floor hyperventilating. Easily one of my fondest memories of Takai. My fondest memory though is when she picked a sakura blossom and put it in her hair while she sk—mmph." Takai quite rudely puts a hand over Kira's mouth.

"What did I tell you about that?" Takai hisses, her eyes like slits as she stares down her best friend.

"That I was to never speak of the incident to anyone." Kira says in a monotone. I had a feeling this is a conversation the two had on a regular basis.

"Exactly." Takai says, nodding her head once, but her eyes were still hard slits.

"But Gaara's going to be my husband… Can I please tell him?" Kira asks Takai, giving her that kicked puppy look I've received many times since I've known her. She seems to be an expert at this look.

"I don't care. NO ONE is to know about that." Takai says stubbornly, crossing her arms.

"No fair." Kira pouts, crossing her arms as well. She looks up at me and smirks. "I'll tell you later when she's gone. OUCH! Takai!" Kira holds her breast and gives Takai an evil stare. "There was no need to punch me in the boob you ass."

"You really needed it." Takai says loftily.

"No, I really didn't." Kira says, glaring.

"All right, let's open presents!" Temari says as she walks into the room. I sigh in relief as Kira leaps off the couch in excitement.

* * *

I tear through the wrapping paper on Naruto's present first. Inside is a little wolf coin purse, similar to the frog one that he has. "Thanks Naruto!" I chirp, hugging the blonde.

"Open mine next!" Takai says, whipping her gift at my head. I catch it effortlessly, and stick my tongue out at my best friend. Inside the beautifully wrapped package is a sterling silver bracelet made of delicate rings. The charm is of a wolf howling, and I'm instantly in love.

"Thank you Takai." I say, smiling fondly at my best friend as I admire my gift.

"Put it on." Takai says, smiling back.

"Will you help?" I ask Gaara. He nods his head once, and I put the bracelet delicately in his hand. I hold out my wrist, and his fingers gently brush across my skin as he fastens the bracelet in place. His touch sends shivers up my spine, and desire, hot and primal, pools in my tummy. Goose bumps erupt on my skin, sending another delicious shiver through me. Our eyes meet for a fraction of a second, and I can see behind his cool façade a slight glimmer of his own desire. It's gone almost as soon as I see it, but I know it was there. I felt hopeful for our relationship in that moment; perhaps we could be like a normal couple one day.

"Now ours!" Temari says, breaking my attention from Gaara. I look to her expectantly, and am slightly dismayed at the sight of a huge box capable of fitting two of me inside. "This is from me and Kankuro both." Temari says as I approach the box apprehensively.

I tear off the paper, excited yet nervous as to what the box could hold. I was much happier with small gifts, and I was way out of my comfort zone as I tore the reflective wrapping paper. Surprisingly for such a large box, it seemed pretty light, and as I maneuvered around the box with a kunai to open the tape, I became suspicious at how light the box really was. Inside, the box was full of packing peanuts, and even though I plunged my arm as deep into the box as I could, my fingers didn't encounter anything other than the light green peanuts.

"You got me a box full of packing peanuts?" I ask, turning to Temari and Kankuro with a slight scowl on my face.

"Not exactly." Kankuro says, giving me a wicked grin.

"What you want is at the bottom." Temari adds, looking satisfied with herself.

I huff at the two, my bangs fluttering about for a second before settling once again. I use my wind chakra to sharpen my kunai (not that it really needed it as I kept them pretty sharp), then stab it into the side of the box, cutting off that one side. The packing peanuts spill out like rocks down a rockslide, and I kick them around to make the house a mess hoping to get a rise out of Temari, but she doesn't seem to care.

I wade through the mess until I'm standing in the three sided box, and I lean down, feeling around for something with my fingers. I'm about to stand and complain when I'm pushed from behind and I sprawl out in the green pieces of foam. I get to my feet and glance down at all the packing material clinging to me stubbornly. The room erupts into laughter and I glare out at the room. Even Gaara is smiling slightly, and for the first time ever I see his eyes laughing. I cross my arms and huff another breath, causing a few pieces of green Styrofoam to float out of my hair.

"Oh haha. Real funny. Who pushed me into the packing peanuts?" I growl. No one responds, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it was Naruto or Kankuro. I let it go, then turn back to the box, puzzling over what could be at the bottom. Finally I just kick as much of the stupid Styrofoam out onto the floor as possible and I find what I have been working so hard for, a white envelop with my name on it.

"Seriously!?" I below, glaring at the two eldest sand siblings. "All that work for this little envelope?" I shake the paper around in their faces, and even though I'm slightly mad because of the annoying packing peanuts, their grins are infectious and I'm soon smiling with everyone else.

"Just sit down and open the envelope." Takai says, as she picks several of the packing peanuts up and licks them, sticking them together to make a little stick figure thing. I roll my eyes at her short attention span and take a seat next to Gaara, carefully opening up the envelope with my kunai, which I pocket after that. I pull out the white paper, and as I unfold and read the paper my eyes grow as big as saucers.

"You're not serious?" I whisper as I look at my future brother and sister.

"We are." Temari says and Kankuro nods his head once in affirmation.

"But-I-we…" I hand the paper to Gaara, utterly speechless. Gaara takes the paper and I watch as his eyes scan the page. He freezes as he gets to the end of it, then re-reads it. He too looks at his siblings, more emotion on his face than I ever expected to see.

"What is it?" Naruto asks, as he glances between me and Gaara's faces.

"They're paying for a one week trip that's set to leave the day after out wedding day." I say, my voice just barely above a whisper.

"That's generous." Takai says, smiling at the sand siblings. I think that she was going to try harder to be friends with them. We were fiercely loyal to each other, and this act of kindness had surprised her as well as me.

"This gift also counts as your birthday gift too Gaara." Temari says and he nods once, his eyes showing hints of both worry and excitement.

"I already cleared this with the Elders, so you guys will be all set when the time comes." Kankuro adds.

"Thank you guys." I say getting off the couch and hugging both Temari and Kankuro.

"Congratulations you two!" Naruto says, before quickly changing topics. "Who wants cake?"

I can't help but to laugh, and everyone joins in, well everyone except Gaara, who has the smallest of all smiles on his face.

* * *

That night after I've changed into my pajamas, which consist of long black and green plaid jammy pants and a black mid rise tank top, I'm surprised for the third time that day. Gaara is sitting on the bed in black jammy pants, and has opted to go without a shirt. I drool mentally as his slightly toned body, and though it looks like he's waiting for me, I try not to get overly excited by his presence.

"You ok?" I ask as his eyes follow my departure from the bathroom. He nods his head once, silent as usual. "Did you need something then?" I ask as I stand in front of him, truly curious as to what he wants.

"I just wanted to know if you'd like me to come to bed… with you?" He asks, his cheeks flushing ever so slightly as his beautiful green eyes meet mine.

"Of course I'd like you to come to bed with me." I say, taking his hand and placing the back of it against my cheek. I close my eyes and sigh in contentment. This is the Gaara I wish I had every day instead of the fleeting moments that lasted no more than a few seconds.

I release his hand and climb into the over large bed, lying down with a contented sigh. Gaara slowly stands and walks to the other side of the bed, turns out the light and climbs into the bed himself. He doesn't snuggle me or touch me in any way much to my disappointment, but I'd take what I could get. I listen in silence to the even rhythm of Gaara's breathing, and soon I am fast asleep.

The next morning when I wake, Gaara is already gone. I sigh to myself, slightly disappointed in him for not staying; slightly disappointed at myself for assuming he would stay. I stretch, arching my back and clenching the muscles in my legs before relaxing. The one good thing about me was that I needed almost no time to wake up, unlike some people who needed several minutes if not an hour to feel awake.

I stand and head for the bathroom, and when I see the shower I smile brightly. Gaara must have set clothes out for me today. Hanging on the shower rod by the thinnest straps is a white dress with delicate black lace travelling from the hem to just under the bodice of the dress, forming intricate swirls that reminded me of ivy. The bodice was a corset, pure white, and not a single imperfection marred its beauty. I would need help to lace it up. _I'll have to ask for Temari's help. _I think to myself as I feel the dress with my fingers. It wasn't a dress I owned, I didn't always care for dresses. The dress felt like taffeta and I was impressed with its design.

I moved the dress from the shower rod and hung it off the doorknob so it wouldn't get wet. After relieving myself I hop in the shower, taking extra time to carefully shave my legs and properly condition my hair. When I get out I spend some more time than normal on moisturizing my skin, something I rarely did. Today, however, I'd be paraded around Suna as it was announced that I would be marrying Gaara. Most of the Suna population knew who I was, but it never hurt to look your best, and I'm sure the Elders were expecting it.

I slip the dress on and am delighted that it fits beautifully. The bottom of the dress reminds me of what a fairy might wear, jagged, yet still beautiful, the longest layer going down just below my knees. I brush and blow-dry my hair, giving my normally wavy hair larger waves that softly frame my face. I apply a little makeup, just enough to highlight my eyes, making them more striking than they already were. Lastly I rummage in one of my bags and pull out a black headband with a black flower perched on the side. I look in the mirror happily before slipping on the white stilettos waiting for me by the bedroom door.

I travel to Temari's room and knock on the door. "Come in." She says and I slip into her room, closing the door behind me.

"I need some help with my dress." I say as Temari walks out of her own walk in closet. She nearly drops the clothes she was carrying in astonishment.

"Kira! Where'd you get that dress!?" She exclaims, setting her clothes down on her bed and walking over to inspect my dress.

"It was hanging up in the bathroom when I woke up this morning." I say, blushing at the attention I was receiving.

"Gaara must have gotten it for you." Temari whispers, in awe. "Who knew he had such good taste, and it fits perfectly!"

"Thanks." I mutter, beginning to wonder if I should have just sought out Gaara to lace me up. Even if he felt the same way Temari did upon seeing me, I knew he would keep his cool and did what I asked without saying much, if he talked at all.

"Alright, turn around and I'll lace you up." Temari says and I sigh in relief as I do as she says.

"Tightly please." I say as the first few pulls don't feel tight enough.

"You're not going to breathe if I do it much tighter." Temari mumbles, but complies and gets them how I like them.

"Thanks." I say as she does the last lace and ties a bow. "I like my corset ridiculously tight." I say as Temari looks me up and down.

"The women who've started taking a liking to Gaara are going to go nuts when they see you." Temari says, chuckling.

"Great, I have to beat back rabid fangirls?" I ask, pretending to be exasperated.

"It's not like he has a huge following, but the village has definitely noticed a positive change in Gaara in the six months since the exams." Temari says as she fishes out undergarments to wear.

"I'll make sure he doesn't leave my sight then." I joke, before thanking Temari again and leaving her room.

When I walk into the living room a tuxedoed Kankuro's jaw falls to the floor and his eyes pop out of his head. He gets it together after a moment and whistles a cat call. "You look more stunning than usual today." He remarks as I scowl at him. I was not too thrilled with him whistling like that at me.

Kankuro's whistling grabs the attention of Gaara, who is sitting on the couch going over more paperwork. His eyes widen upon seeing me, but as I knew he would, he stays silent. His mouth is quirked in the smallest of smiles, and there's desire in his eyes, though I think he's trying to hide it. I wished he wouldn't hide his desire, because I was more than willing to satiate that appetite.

"Thanks for the dress." I say to Gaara, smiling warmly at him.

"You're welcome."

And that's it, I don't get any more reaction from him, which leaves me slightly disappointed, but I knew better than to expect more. Gaara goes back to his paper work and I head for the kitchen, scrounging around for a something light to eat. I was typically a pretty confident person, but I was going to be paraded across all of Suna, so there were some nerves that I didn't want overwhelming my system; a big meal could be dangerous if my body decided it wanted to get rid of my last meal.

I find a soldier pill, and though I found them horrible, at least it would provide me with the necessary energy while tricking my body into thinking it had a nice meal. I sigh as I walk out of the kitchen, and make a mental note to go grocery shopping. There was never any food in the house, and it drove me nuts.

When I walk back out into the living room, Temari is downstairs in an ocean blue dress that clings in all the right places. Instead of her normal wild pigtails, she's left her hair down, and her golden blonde hair is brushed to a perfect shine.

"Wow Temari, you look beautiful!" I say, and Temari smiles brightly at me.

"Thanks Kira! I debated a while before choosing this one… But I figured this blue would match my eyes more than black would."

That's when Gaara stands up, and for the first time I actually see what he's wearing. Before he had been obscured by the back of the white leather couch, and now I could see just how handsome he is. He is wearing a back suit that fits perfectly with black, shiny dress shoes. His button down shirt is a deep red, similar to his hair color with a snow white tie.

"You look… Wow." I breathe, at a loss for words as my eyes takes in his gloriously hot body.

Gaara doesn't respond, but the slight pinking of his cheeks lets me know that he had heard my comment. He walks over to me and offers his arm. I link my arm through his (thank god for my heels; I came up to his shoulders now instead of mid chest), and we start walking for the door.

Yesterday a general announcement had been made throughout all of Suna that at ten am, Gaara would be announcing who was going to be his wife. They were going to go to the Council Room in the Kazekage building and at ten-fifteen all residents of Suna would be allowed to come meet her, and ask her any questions they had. At three o'clock the Council doors will be shut to the public for a late lunch with the Elders, followed by a sort of block party afterwards.

Temari and Kankuro open the door and step out before Gaara and I, acting as body guards, of sorts. Not that we didn't really need them since Gaara had the sands of Suna and I had my water to use at any given moment. The crowd outside was huge, much larger than I had expected. I hadn't known so many people were accepting of Gaara already. I knew a lot were probably curious about me in general, and I'm sure some were just here to see who would be crazy enough to consider marrying Gaara.

When Gaara and I step out of the house, a hush falls over the people who can see us. Gaara takes the time to look up, and he meets the eyes of the citizens jockeying for position in the front. "I would like to introduce my future wife to the people of Suna, Chikako Kira." His voice is deep, and though he speaks quietly I know that just about everyone can hear him. As he says my name I get pleasurable goose bumps, and I smile happily at the reaction my body has to him as he says my name. Noise erupts like the buzzing of thousands of locusts as people begin to talk amongst themselves. I smile and wave at the people who offer me the same courtesy, and we begin walking towards the Kazekage building.

When we get there, Baki ushers us through the building and into the Council room. We are seated at the end of the table and then the doors are open. Thankfully, they only let one person in at a time so Gaara and I don't feel overwhelmed by the amount of people.

The first to come in is an older woman, probably old enough to be my mother, and she doesn't say anything for several seconds, just studies us. "She's good for you, jinchuriki." The old woman says simply before turning and walking out the door. I blink at her abruptness, but she's gone before I can think of anything to say in return.

"Well that was weird." I mutter, as the next person comes in, this time a boy around my age.

"What made you decide to marry him?" The boy asks, avoiding Gaara's gaze.

"A lot of things." I say. I could already tell that this was going to be a question I would answer many times today. "He's smart, handsome of course, and you know what he has to say is important because he doesn't talk often. He's kind and considerate with me, is gentle, and he's never once said or done anything to hurt me."

"But he's killed a lot of people." The boy protests, this time glaring vehemently at Gaara.

"He did, but he is putting the past behind him, and has opened his eyes to the goodness in people, and he truly wants to be recognized as someone this village can look to in times of trouble." I say, defending Gaara and aiming my own death glare with a little bit of killing intent mixed in for good measure.

"Stop." Gaara says quietly and I do immediately. "I have done many things to wrong this village and the people in it. I want to change that, and be the best leader this village has ever had."

The boy nods his head once, his eyes less hard, but still weary. He looks at the both of us for a moment, then bows his head slightly and leaves. I sigh in relief. This is going to be a long four hours.

* * *

**AN: So… good chapter? Also, keep those Kakkaku guesses coming! No one's guessed right yet, but they've all been good guesses! I'd like my reviews to hit 32 for a total of 4 reviews before I update again. As I said before, criticism, what you liked and didn't like, that kind of stuff, so I can make my story better and become a better write. Thank you guys!**


	21. Wicked Game

_"World was on fire, no one could save me but you  
It's strange what desire will make foolish people do  
I'd never dreamed that I'd need somebody like you"_

**Chapter 21: Wicked Game (Cover by HIM)**

The weeks had flown by, and here it was, the day before the wedding. Gaara's birthday had passed without nearly as much fuss as my birthday. I had saved him from having a surprise party, knowing he probably would have been less thrilled than I was for my own party. His ascent to Kazekage also went smoothly, and nearly the whole village had turned out to watch the proceedings. Let's just say it was a long day.

I woke to Temari's raised voice as she yelled at someone downstairs. I groaned and rubbed my eyes before getting up and poking my head out the door. I could hear her voice and the voice of a man, who sounded suspiciously like the poor florist. I walked out of mine and Gaara's room and plodded down the stairs, where my suspicions are confirmed.

"Temari, leave the poor florist alone." I say through a yawn.

"Kira-sama!" The florist says, bowing his head and averting his eyes. "I apologize if I woke you."

I blinked at the new title, not yet used to it. "Eh, I needed to get up anyways, no harm done." I say, smiling at the man. "Why were you called here?"

"Temari-sama wanted a bouquet sample to approve before the wedding." The florist gestured at a beautiful piece that I thought was quite extravagant.

"Temari?" I raised my eyebrow at my soon to be sister and she shrugged. "Is there a reason why you were yelling at our florist?"

"It's not good enough." Temari huffs, crossing her arms defiantly.

I walked over and studied the bouquet. It was quite large with white calla lilies, pink peonies, and red and white roses. I thought it was exquisite and couldn't find anything to fault. The white lilies were at the center, surrounded by the red and white roses on all sides, while the peonies were added as accents here and there. I turned to Temari questioningly. "What's not good enough about it?"

"It's not nearly elegant enough."

I rolled my eyes at Temari. "They are plenty elegant. The flowers say a lot about the hopes that Suna has for our marriage. The lilies represent beauty and innocence, symbolizing myself. The white roses represent purity and new beginnings, a new hope for Suna. The red roses represent love, and the peonies are given in the hopes of a happy life, a happy marriage and for prosperity." I turned from Temari and appraised the florist.

"You made this beautifully. I'd like these bouquets on the tables at the reception and as decorative pieces during the ceremony. Please use your good judgment when contemplating where the bouquets should go. And please don't let Temari bother you." I say with a smile.

"Of course Kira-sama, I will get right to work." The florist bowed and scooped up the bouquet before hurriedly leaving the room.

"You're going to make them screw up if you keep badgering everyone." I say to Temari as I head back up the stairs and to mine and Gaara's room. I open the balcony doors to allow some fresh air into the room. I lean on the railing, my chin in my hand as I watch Suna's citizens scurry about as they go on with their day to day lives. In the distance I can see the florist as he maneuvers dexterously through the crowds, the flowers swaying in the light desert breeze.

A presence drops down next to me, and I smile softly as I see Gaara mirror my stance as he gazes out over Suna as well. "Good morning love." I say without thinking. I always got so love drunk whenever I saw him. I curse myself inwardly, but at the same time I don't take it back. Let the chips fall where they may.

Gaara freezes for a second, confusion marring his perfect features before he relaxes and offers me a good morning in return. I sigh inwardly, pleased that he hadn't left and that he had responded. That was enough for me.

"I think I'm going to go out today. Maybe go to the spa, get a massage." I say, turning to Gaara so I can better watch his reaction.

"Ok, but please be back by dinner. You know how Temari gets. If anything goes wrong in the next twenty four hours there's going to be trouble." Gaara says as he turns towards our room and pulls out his Kazekage robes. "I have a meeting with the Elders today, so I'll be home as soon as the meeting is over."

"Sounds good." I say, advancing on my soon to be husband and placing my hands on his shoulders. He stiffens for half a second before relaxing; he always got so tense whenever anyone touched him, but he was getting better around me. I stand on tiptoe and kiss his cheek softly before pulling back. "Have fun in your meeting." I turn to walk towards the bathroom so I can get ready for the day when a hand on my wrist has me stopping.

I turn and look at Gaara questioningly, this was unusual behavior for him, he usually refrained from initiating any contact between us. He tugs gently on my wrist and I turn to face him. I'm surprised yet again when he places a soft and careful peck on my lips. I can feel the blush spreading like flames across my cheeks as I look into his serious eyes. "Please stay safe." I melt instantly.

"Always." I respond, reaching up and caressing his cheek before giving him one last kiss before heading for the bathroom.

* * *

I had gotten the invitation to the wedding shortly after talking with Tsunade that one day several weeks ago. Now I was in Suna, and after a lot of scheming, I knew what I needed to do to make Kira mine. I scanned the home I had learned belonged to Gaara, watching for Kira to leave. She didn't like being cooped up, so I knew she would leave at some point today. The first to leave was that red headed monster she was going to be marrying. He was dressed in his Kazekage robes, and I knew he must have felt me watching because he turned in my direction and frowned. I melted into the inky black shadows of the ally at my back and waited patiently for him to continue on his way. He finally walked off, casting worried glances over his shoulder every few steps.

I waited for close to an hour, and then I saw her as she left dressed in something that was conservative. With her body she should have been flaunting what she had, she was a kunoichi damnit, and they by definition were supposed to be sultry, sexy, and alluring, not dressed like an everyday housewife. Gaara was ruining her.

I stepped out of the shadows and put on a smile. This was going to put my acting to the test. I had spent most of my time rehearsing to be believable, and as soon as I got to Suna I went to the stupid club Kira had gone to on her first night here and sniffed out the guy who had tried to abduct her. He was easy to find, and it was even easier to convince him to give me the drug he had used to inebriate her. I pat my pocket, and am reassured by the half a dozen capped needles I can feel against my leg.

"Kira!" I shout, running to catch up. She pauses and turns, and I'm relieved by the instant smile that lights her face. It was a good thing that I wouldn't have to try and get in her good graces again; she'd already gotten over her anger with me when I had pissed her off in Konoha.

"Kakkaku! It's good to see you!" Kira gives me a one armed hug, then motions for me to follow along with her. I quickly fall into step next to her as she begins speaking again. "I was a little worried that you wouldn't come, I was rude not saying goodbye before, and I'm sorry about that."

"It's ok Kira, I've been a little out of line lately myself." I respond lightly, smiling at her.

"I'm going to go to the spa right now, but if you want to meet up for a little bit afterwards, I don't mind." She says, and I smile inwardly. This perhaps could be a perfect opportunity for me.

"Oh?" I ask curiously, keeping my voice light. "When are you expected to be back?"

"Gaara asked that I come home around dinner time, otherwise Temari is going to worry. She's been absolutely out of her mind trying to get everything ready for the wedding." Kira says as she smiles.

My hand slips casually into my pocket, and carefully I remove the rubber tip covering the end of the needle. It was almost time to start my plan. Kira continued on, unaware of my intentions. _Perfect. She won't ever see it coming, and no one expects her home for several hours, I have all the time I need. _I think as we round a corner. The crowd thinned out remarkably, and only a handful of people were around. As we passed a dark ally I put my hand out, grabbed her arm and pulled her into the darkness after me.

"Kakkaku, what—" Her voice cuts off as I put her into a choke hold and jam the needle into the base of her neck where it meets he shoulder, pushing the plunger down swiftly. She struggles for a minute, her teeth clamped viciously in my hand. I felt the henge she placed on her canines release as she let go and chomped again, her canines breaking through my skin and meeting in my hand. I winced at the pain, but continued holding her until her body started to relax.

I let her fall to the ground and pry my hand out of her mouth, inspecting the four neat holes in my flesh. The damage was minimal and I use my healing chakra to repair the damage that was caused. I look down at Kira, she was still beautiful, even when her wolfish teeth glittered dangerously, extending halfway to her chin. I place a henge on her, transforming her into a small puppy, then carry her out of the ally, acting as if nothing was amiss.

I walked calmly to the gates of Suna and left. No one suspected that I was carrying off the Kazekage's wife. Everything was going according to plan. Once the gates of Suna were out of sight, I bit my thumb, drawing blood. "Kuchiyose no jutsu." I mutter as a giant eagle the size of a two story building flies out of the large cloud of smoke.

"Kakkaku-sama." The eagle says, bowing its head at me.

"Hello Koumyou." I reply, bowing my head as well. I had made it a point to find and sign the Eagle summoning contract as soon as I had devised my plan. I needed something that could travel faster than running alone. "I have an extra passenger today." I say pointing towards the little bundle of white fur that is Kira.

"She'll be ok flying?" Koumyou asks, looking uneasy at the prospect of carrying another animal on his back.

"She's a human transformed into a puppy." I say as I pick up the fluffy white bundle. "Besides, she's unconscious."

"I see." Koumyou says, sniffing disdainfully. The eagles were noble creatures, and I was using them to do something quite the opposite at the moment. The less they really knew the better. I jump up onto Koumyou's back and we are soon on our way, flying high in the sky.

"Head towards the SoundVillage." I say. I knew that was the last place people would think of to look for Kira.

"As you wish." Koumyou says, turning slightly and flapping his wings vigorously. We were on our way.

* * *

Something has been bothering me ever since I left the house this morning. I felt like I was being watched when I left the house, but I couldn't find anything amiss. Still, this anxious feeling was driving me nuts. When my meeting with the Elders was done, I went straight to the spa, and inquired there about Kira. No one had seen her today. The worry began really gnawing at me when I went home to find it empty. I searched around, but Kira wasn't there.

I was now walking the streets, the hot sun turning into a brilliant orange and red sunset. It was almost dinnertime, and there was still no sign of Kira. This fear was unlike anything I've ever felt before. Why was I suddenly afraid? Why did it bother me that Kira was missing? It shouldn't bother me; she had promised she would stay safe, and she always kept her promises…

I go home a second time and this time Temari is home, making a miso soup in the kitchen. "Have you seen Kira?" I growl at her, my arms crossed.

"She's probably in your room. If you told her to be home for dinner, then she'll be home for dinner." Temari sighs, glancing at me out of the corner of her eye.

"She never made it to the spa today." I state, glaring at Temari.

"Really? That's odd; she left about an hour after you did." My sister's eyes widen at this realization. "Do you think someone could have taken her?"

"It's a possibility I've visited many times today." I reply, heading upstairs and discarding my Kazekage robes. I sling my gourd over my shoulders and when I get downstairs I'm relieved to see Temari battle ready.

As we're leaving, Kankuro walks in the door and Temari forces him right out of the door again. "Kira's missing, and we need your help." She says, pushing him along.

"She's with Kakkaku." Kankuro says irritably, crossing his arms and standing his ground. "I saw them walking towards the spa earlier today."

"She never made it to the spa." I growl out, feeling red hot anger course through my veins. It was not going to go well for Kakkaku when I got my hands on his scrawny neck.

"You seriously think Kira's own teammate would do something to her?" Kankuro asks. My brother is such an idiot.

"Yes, he is attached to her more than I'd like him to be." I say, storming off and heading straight for Suna's gates.

"Kazekage-sama." The guard greets, standing up straighter as I approach.

"Has a boy about my age and height left here today? Dark brown hair with two katanas strapped to his back with a Konoha head band?" I ask, trying my best to be extremely polite.

"Yes, a boy matching that description left here a little before lunch time, carrying a white puppy. About twenty minutes after he left, a giant Eagle soared off towards the new SoundVillage."

"Thank you. Please send word to the Elders that Kira has been kidnapped and her captor has headed towards Otogakure. Tell them I have my brother and sister with me, and that the wedding will have to be rescheduled. _Do not _tell anyone else this information, got it?" I hiss the last bit between clenched teeth before heading in the direction of Oto. Kakkaku was not going to get away with this.

* * *

_Everything feels so heavy, so dark… _I mutter in my head as I slowly regain consciousness. My head hurt like a bitch, the base of my neck felt like it had been assaulted by an angry wasp several times over, and my limbs felt like they were weighted down with stones.

When I finally force my eyes to open, they decide that cracking open is enough of an effort. I try to find Gobi's chakra so I can reinvigorate some life into my body, but I don't feel anything. More astonishing was the lack of chakra I could feel in my body. I struggle to open my eyes further, and after a few seconds' effort, I'm finally able to really look at my surroundings.

_Where the fuck am I? _I growl to myself as my brain slowly registers my environment. I'm pretty sure I'm in some sort of dark, dank, hole in the ground. When I look up I can see light filtering in, as if branches were placed over the hole, but it's a soft white light leading me to believe that there is a full moon outside. Down where I am the walls are circular and feel earthy, but they don't crumble like I expect them to. Upon further inspection, I find wrought iron pegs imbedded in the wall, connected to chains that… connect to my wrists. _Fuck me._

I tug at the chains, and the cold metal bites into my flesh. I sigh, resigned to the fact that I won't be able to get out. I can feel the steel draining my chakra; I'd never have enough to use an escape jutsu.

I can feel the drug in my system wearing off and as the hours tick by I can feel myself becoming more alert, though my body remains drained of any energy. I can barely manage moving when I get uncomfortable. The bright rays of dawn are starting to reach me when I hear movement outside for the first time. I squint up and see two familiar faces peering down at me. The first I recognize is Kakkaku, he is smiling happily down at me and I scowl angrily at him. This kidnapping was unforgiveable. The second face belonged to none other than Kabuto himself, the slime-ball that worked for Orochimaru.

"Good morning!" Kakkaku says as he leaps down in front of me, landing gracefully on his toes. Kabuto follows suit and watches me hungrily. Being helpless, I can't do anything but glare at the two of them.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Kabuto asks Kakkaku, who nods his head once, his face set in a determined stare.

"Yes. Let's bring her to him."

"Bring me where?" I demand as Kabuto puts on thick gloves so he can touch the chakra absorbing chains. He carefully cuts them out of the wall, and then Kakkaku hoists me over his shoulder. "Put me down." I say loudly, mustering as much strength as I can to try and struggle away. I successfully flail enough to hit Kakkaku in the face and kick him in the groin area. He grunts in pain and he drops me to the ground. I spit in his direction and attempt to scoot away. Kakkaku takes out a pair of his own gloves and puts them on before taking the chains from Kabuto. He jerks the chains and I fall forward on my face. I feel a painful prick in my thigh, and my vision is soon swimming before I fall into blackness.

* * *

When I wake again, I'm in a dark room lit only by a couple candles. My body feels like it's been battered and bruised, but when I look down at myself I don't see any marks on my body. I'm chained in the same chakra absorbing chains as before, but instead of the slack that I had in the chain earlier, my hands are bound tightly to the wall. I struggle for a second, but the metal just bites into my wrists, causing them to ache.

Gobi is still not present, and I have a sneaking suspicion it has to do with the drugs Kakkaku has pumped into my body. I can't help but wonder if he got the drugs from that asshole who had tried to rape me in Suna. I was regretting asking Gaara to spare his life.

Now that I was more alert, I started going over my options for escape. They were pitifully slim. I had the option to use my summoning tattoo, but when I glanced over at where it should be on my body, I found that thick white bandages had been wound around it to prevent me from summoning my wolves. I inwardly cursed Kakkaku and his grey haired, four-eyed accomplice.

I don't know how long I sit in the gloom, fuming, feeling angry and betrayed by Kakkaku, and planning the numerous ways I could torture and murder him. I was lusting for blood, and I'm sure that if anyone walked into the room, they would immediately run in the other direction. I glare at the door, and my heart beats just a little faster when a shadow falls across the light shining through the crack.

"Hey, let me out!" I yell angrily, struggling uselessly against my restraints. The door opens and in walks the traitor of the Leaf, Orochimaru himself.

"Kakkaku said you were a spirited fighter, I'm glad to see he wasn't wrong." Orochimaru says as he looks down at me.

"Fuck you." I hiss angrily, glaring daggers and flipping him off. He laughs at me mockingly.

"Oh how I wish." He says, and I immediately want to vomit. "But Kakkaku says you're off limits to me, and since he is offering me his skills in exchange for my help, I will honor his wishes."

"He would never stoop so low." I growl, my upper lip curling in a snarl.

"It's strange what desire will make foolish people do." Orochimaru says with a sneer on his lips.

"Gaara will come for me." I say angrily, continuing to glare at my enemy.

"I know he will try. You have become someone precious to him, and the once cold and heartless monster will fight for those he deems precious to him. We have already relocated you from Oto. He won't find you." Orochimaru chuckles as he looks down his nose at me.

"Don't be so sure." I growl, putting all my hope on Gaara. He had to find me or I'd end up hurt, or worse.

"Trust me when I say you are well hidden." Orochimaru glances over his shoulder as Kakkaku walks into the room. I glare at the both of them.

"Why would you do this Kakkaku?" I ask, hoping there's still some sanity left in my former teammate.

"Because I love you, and Gaara's wrong for you." Kakkaku says, looking at me as if I were an errant dog that needed to be brought to heel.

"I will never belong to you." I spit.

"Time will change how you feel." Kakkaku says stubbornly before turning to Orochimaru. "Go ahead and do the seal."

"Don't give orders to me, boy." Orochimaru says harshly, giving Kakkaku a contemptuous look. Kakkaku averts his eyes and this seems to mollify the traitor of the Leaf. Orochimaru advances towards me, his fingers lighting with blue chakra. Kakkaku scurries over to me and lifts my shirt up over my breasts, exposing my tummy and my black lace bra.

"Get away from me!" I hiss, locking my teeth in Kakkaku's hand while I kick out with my feet to try and keep Orochimaru at bay.

"Keep her under control would you?" Orochimaru says angrily. "She needs to be still."

"Stop struggling Kira." Kakkaku says as he forces my mouth to open by putting pressure with his free hand on either side of my jaw. He takes his hand out of my mouth and shakes it before healing it with his green chakra. He then throws his leg over mine, effectively pinning them down.

Orochimaru kneels next to me and I snap my sharp canines at him. He ignores me and thrusts his glowing fingers on my stomach. The pain is intense, possibly the worst pain I'd ever felt in my life. I thrash around, trying to escape the pain, but relief doesn't come until Orochimaru removes his cold fingers from my bare tummy.

"There, that will disrupt the flow of her chakra, and keep her demon's chakra from leaking into her system. You won't need to use that drug anymore, these chakra absorbing chains should be enough now." Orochimaru says before leaving the room.

"I hate you." I hiss at Kakkaku, my eyes flashing angrily.

"Eventually you will learn to love me." Kakkaku says as he leaves the room. I stare angrily at his back before the door shuts and I'm left in the gloom once again.

* * *

It has been approximately four days since Kira was abducted from the village. Though Temari, Kankuro and I had travelled straight to Otogakure and met up with Kakashi, Sakura, and Naruto we were unable to find Kira. Kakashi had summoned his ninja hounds, and though they had found a hole that she had been kept in and an abandoned underground hideout that had smelled of Orochimaru, Sasuke, Kabuto, Kakkaku and Kira, we were unable to follow their trail far after leaving Oto. They had covered their tracks well. The only way I was going to find her now was if Gobi contacted me, but he had been uncharacteristically quiet.

I could feel everyone's eyes on me as I paced back and forth next to the small fire. I was impatient to be on the move, regardless of whether or not there was a trail to follow.

"Gaara." Naruto's quiet voice distracts me and I turn to look at my first friend. "I know you want to get Kira back, we all do, but…" Naruto trails off, averting his eyes.

"Pacing like that isn't going to change anything." Kankuro finishes. "We have to wait until she contacts us. You said she has the ability to do so, you have to trust that she will."

"I know they're doing something to keep her from contacting us." I say quietly, but I stop pacing and lean against a tree to calm everyone's nerves. I want nothing more than to destroy anything I can get my hands on, but I reign in the desire, and keep it bottled up. It will be more fuel for when I get my sand around Kakkaku's skinny, worthless neck.

"I know it's difficult to wait, we all want to be on the move to, but there's nothing any of us can do right now." Temari says, trying to comfort me even though I don't want to be comforted. I cross my arms and scowl at the fire, angry and anxious. _Stay safe Kira, we're looking for you._

* * *

The only way to keep track of the days was by my meals. I'd had two breakfasts since the day Orochimaru had done something to mess up my chakra. Though I could talk to Gobi now, his chakra was completely sealed off from me, and he couldn't give me any, though he's tried several times.

_Is there any way you can get out and find Gaara, like the first night in Suna? _I ask Gobi.

_I have been looking for a way, but whatever seal Orochimaru placed on you is binding me tighter as well. I'll keep looking for a way out of this cage, I promise. _Gobi responds, before leaving my conscious so he can continue looking for weak spots in the seal.

I glare at the door as it opens shortly after talking with Gobi. Kakkaku had been visiting me every day, trying to make amends for what he's done, but there was no way I was ever going to forgive him. Today was no different, with one exception, Kabuto and Orochimaru joined Kakkaku in my prison too.

I growl at them, baring my teeth as Kakkaku approaches, pulling on the thick gloves once again.

"She really is like the wolf that is sealed inside her body." Orochimaru says admiringly as he watches the proceedings.

Kakkaku and Kabuto have a sturdy collar attached to long sturdy metal rods. I stare at it in fear. _Gobi, they're taking me somewhere, please, you have to find Gaara! _I shout frantically, struggling harder than I've ever struggled since being captured. I can feel my hot blood dripping down my arms as I tear the soft flesh around my wrists. "Stay away from me!" I say, trying my best to make it as hard as I can for Kakkaku and Kabuto to collar me.

_Please bear with me, I'm trying my best!_Gobi says, and I feel his presence leave my mind.

_Gobi? Gobi!? _I shout, but there's no response.

"After you're done with what you need to do, she'll belong to me, right?" Kakkaku asks Orochimaru, a hint of worry in his eyes. Whether he was afraid of what was going to happen to me, or afraid that Orochimaru wouldn't keep his end of the deal I wasn't sure, but I did know that I wasn't going to like what was going to happen to me.

"Of course." Orochimaru says silkily, and I immediately don't believe him.

Kakkaku kneels next to me and strokes my hair lovingly before buckling the thick leather collar snugly around my neck. I try to bite him, but he moves swiftly, and I'm soon being forced to walk out of my dark prison room, only able to go where the metal bars guide me.

* * *

**AN: Uh-oh… What could Orochimaru be planning to do to Kira? Do you think Gobi found a way around the seal to find Gaara? Let me know your thoughts! Once my reviews hit 37, I'll update again!**


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